Expecting
by krystalsteph
Summary: Every morning, she wakes up and for a moment, she forgets. She forgets her reality. She forgets what her life has become recently. The overwhelming mixture of anxiety and sadness and stress that completely consumes every minute of her day. And then she remembers. NOW COMPLETED.
1. Reality

So, I'm sure you guys have noticed after reading my stories- I'm not a huge fan of angst. Most of my stories don't have much of it and whenever they do, it doesn't last long. I don't know, it's just not really my thing. I don't feel like I write it very well and to be honest, I just like happy McSwarek stories.

BUT I've been getting a good amount of reviews requesting some angst, so I decided to give it a shot and this story was born….

Hopefully it doesn't suck lol.

Fair warning, while this story does have angst, it's still just angst according to my standards, so don't expect anything _too_ crazy. Also, this story won't be as long as mine typically are. So far, I've written five chapters and I'm planning for maybe three more, but we'll see. Maybe I'll end up adding a couple more if inspiration strikes.

Oh and if anyone has a better idea for a title, I'm all ears

Anyway, hope you like it!

=========Expecting=========

Every morning it's the same.

Every morning, she wakes up and for a moment, she forgets. She forgets her reality. She forgets what her life has become recently. The overwhelming mixture of anxiety and sadness and stress that completely consumes every minute of her day.

And then she remembers.

She remembers everything that's happened. She remembers everything that's going to happen. She remembers what she has to do. And she tells herself that today is the day. Today she will do it.

But she's said that same thing each and every day since she found out. And yet, she still hasn't done it.

And then she thinks about how she'll do it. She thinks about where she will do it and the actual words she'll use. And then she thinks about how he'll react. She thinks about the look he'll have on his face and the words that _he'll_ use. And she wonders if he'll be angry or if he'll blame her or maybe he'll just try to fix everything. Or maybe he'll be absolutely wonderful and understanding and… perfect.

She isn't sure which would be worse.

And that's about the time that she starts to really freak out.

And after about five minutes of hyperventilating, she dashes to the bathroom to throw up. Repeatedly.

And then she brushes her teeth, takes a shower, tries to keep a few pieces of toast down and heads to work.

It's become a ritual these past few days. Every single morning she comes to the station and throws up. It's so much like clockwork to the point that she would laugh if she actually _could_ laugh anymore. Usually she's able to sneak away to the bathroom and vomit in private, but not today. Nope. Today she's running a few minutes late, so the garbage can right outside the door will have to do.

And at first, she thinks the coast is clear and nobody will see her, but then when she lifts her head, she sees him. Of course.

There he is, walking towards her with this concerned look on his face, obviously wondering what the hell is wrong with her. And she really just wants to go run and hide because she's seriously not ready to do this yet. She just needs a few more days to wrap her head around all of this before she can even try to talk to him about it. But no, he's coming right for her and he's obviously seen her and he's going to ask her if she's okay and how is she supposed to lie to him? She's a terrible liar, especially when she tries to lie to _him_. Somehow he just always knows. No matter how convincing she thinks she is, no matter how many other people she can fool- he just knows. He always has.

So yeah, she's going to have to do this. Today is the day. She's going to do it.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, the concern evident in his voice.

Okay. No. She can't do this. Not yet.

"I'm fine," she barks. She figures that maybe he'll just go away if she acts angry. Not that she really has to act. She _is_ angry. She's pissed… She's devastated.

"You want some gum?" He offers, pulling a piece out of the pack that was in his pocket, seemingly unfazed by her attitude.

"Sam, I told you. It's not your job to take care of me anymore," she reminds him, still not letting go of that attitude. She really just wants him to leave her alone.

He lets out a sigh. "Andy, it's just gum," he tells her. And that look on his face- she _almost_ feels guilty for snapping at him. Almost.

"I'm fine, I'll just go brush my teeth," she declines with a wave of her hand.

"You're keeping a toothbrush at work now?" He asks, curiously.

"Um…" She begins as she swears under her breath. Yeah, she's been keeping a toothbrush at work ever since the first time she barfed while on duty.

"Andy?" He asks, trying to catch her eyes. She meets his gaze and she can see the immense amounts of worry in his eyes. She knows that the way she's acting is freaking him out. She is never one to be discreet with her feelings. And he just knows her too well.

Yeah, she has to do this now. Today is the day.

She briefly looks at her watch and then she grabs his arm and starts pulling him away from the door.

"What are you doing?" He asks, but she doesn't answer. She just pulls him all the way back to his truck and then stops to look at him.

"Actually, I think I'll take that gum," she says, holding her hand out.

He stares at her for a minute, completely confused by everything that's happening, but he eventually pulls out a piece of gum and hands it to her. She carefully unwraps it, pops it in her mouth and chews on it for a minute before speaking up.

"Can we talk? In there?" She asks, pointing to the truck.

"Uh… sure," he shrugs as he continues to eye her with an expression full of confusion and worry. He unlocks the truck and opens the passenger door for her before watching her hop in. Then, he goes to the driver's side and gets in himself.

"So…" he says, when she doesn't say anything.

She takes a deep breath and looks up at him. This whole thing is so completely weird and she has no idea how to even begin.

"Sam, there's um…. there's something I need to tell you. I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you for about a week now and I just… well, I don't really think there is ever a good time to say something like this so uh…" she rambles.

"Andy, what is it?" He asks, sounding impatient. Now he's seriously worried. "Are you okay?"

She takes another deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment, attempting to mentally prepare herself for what she's about to say. "I'm pregnant," she blurts out before she slowly opens her eyes again.

"What? You're…" He begins, completely bewildered. Yeah, she's pretty sure that was the absolute last thing he was expecting to come out of her mouth.

"Yeah," she nods. "And before you ask, I haven't been with anyone else."

"I wasn't going to ask that!" He exclaims. The thought alone makes him absolutely sick. Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to ask her that.

"Okay…. Look, you should know that I'm… that I'm keeping it, but I… I don't expect anything from you, I just… well, you're the father and you have the right to know, but like I said, I don't expect anything. You don't have to be involved," she assures him.

"Wow… that's… that's really what you think of me? That I would just let you do this by yourself?" He asks, in complete shock and more than a little insulted.

"I don't know. I'm just giving you an out," she shrugs.

"Andy, I don't _want_ an out," he tells her, adamantly.

She gives him a look and he knows what she's thinking. That if he doesn't want an out than why aren't they still together?

"I don't, okay? I'm here. Whatever you need. I _want_ to be involved… in all of it… everything. I'm not letting you do this by yourself," he assures her by putting a hand on her knee and giving it a little squeeze. When she looks down at his fingers squeezing her leg, he realizes that maybe it wasn't the comforting gesture he intended and quickly pulls away.

"Okay uh… well, we need to get to parade, but we should probably talk about how _this_ is going to work," she says, gesturing between the two of them.

He nods. "You wanna come over after shift? We can eat dinner and talk," he offers.

"Um. Fine. Sure," she decides.

"Okay. Meet me at the truck tonight?" He requests.

"Okay. Yeah," she says as she reaches for the door handle.

"Andy," he says, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Hm?"

"It's going to be okay," he tells her with what he hopes is a reassuring smile.

She laughs. "Yeah, I'm pregnant with my ex-boyfriend's baby, but yeah sure, everything is going to be just _wonderful_ ," she says with an obviously fake smile and condescending tone.

Ex-boyfriend. He cringes at the word and for the millionth time in the past three weeks he chastises himself for being such an idiot. Letting her go was the stupidest thing he ever did and as much as he tries, he can't even begin to remember why he thought it was the right thing to do in the first place.

"Andy, I'm… I'm sorry," he tells her.

"Sam, it's fine. You don't have to be sorry. It's just that… I'm finally starting to accept the fact that you just don't want to be with me and then of course, the universe has to go and play a cruel joke on me and knock me up. I mean, seriously, this kind of thing would only happen to me," she says, shaking her head.

He opens his mouth to say something, but she holds her hand up to stop him. "Sam, it's fine. We'll talk tonight. I'm fine," she says before getting out of his truck and speed walking to the station.

Sam just sits there for a second, trying to digest what the hell just happened. Andy is pregnant. Andy is pregnant with his kid. He's going to be a father. And the mother of his child, the woman he loves more than anything- hates him. God, he is such an idiot.

=========Expecting=========

"Hey… You okay?" Traci asks when she sees the look on Andy's face. Andy looks around the locker room and seems satisfied that it's empty.

"I told Sam," she confesses.

"Wow. What did he say?" Traci asks.

"That he wants to be involved," Andy replies.

"I told you he would step up," Traci says.

"I know… I just… I guess a part of me was hoping that he _wouldn't_ want to be involved," she admits. "I know that makes me absolutely horrible and selfish and… surprise, I'm already the worst mother on the planet," she sighs. "I just… how am I supposed to be do this? With him? I still love him, Trace. I still think about him all the time. I still miss him. And now? How am I supposed to get over him if he's going to be there all the time?" Andy asks.

"I don't know, Andy, but you know I'm here for you," Traci offers, before pulling her into a hug. "I know it seems impossible now, but you'll figure it out."

=========Expecting=========

For the rest of the day, Sam is completely in his own world. His mind just won't turn off. He can't stop thinking about his conversation with Andy this morning and how everything in their lives is about to change. He thinks about how they're going to do this and what the next few months will look like. He thinks about life beyond that and what their kid will be like, what kind of father he'll be and what kind of mother Andy will be.

He's spent a good portion of the day absolutely freaking out, but there's also this small part of him that is… happy? Really happy, actually.

He knows it's crazy. They obviously didn't plan this and Andy is seriously less than thrilled. He knows it's going to be complicated and difficult, but a small part of him is kind of excited to be a father. And a part of him wonders if maybe this could be his second chance.

It's been three weeks since he left her in that parking lot and for the past two, he's been chastising himself for being so stupid. He's still grieving, of course, but each day it becomes a little easier. And with that, he only misses her more. Now that he's not so unbearably overcome with grief, he can think a little more clearly and he knows he made a mistake.

Every morning, he wakes up and for a moment, he expects her to be sleeping right beside him. But she isn't. And that's when he remembers what a fool he's been.

And all he wants to do is run to her house, beg her to forgive him and ask if they can just start over, but he doesn't. She's just so mad at him and he doesn't even know how to explain. And that's when he tells himself that she deserves so much better than him, so he talks himself out of it and goes on with his day.

But now everything has changed. She's pregnant with his kid, so they will always be in each other's lives. And the thought of being connected to her forever is something he seriously wants.

And that's when he tries to tell himself that maybe someday, he'll actually be able to make it up to her and gain back her trust. Maybe someday, she'll forgive him and they can start over.

And if they can't- well then, at least she'll be in his life. That'll have to be enough.

=========Expecting=========

"Look, I know this is uh… complicated, but I meant what I said this morning," he begins as they sit down at her kitchen counter to eat dinner. "I'm here for you, okay? Whatever you need. _Anything_ you need. I'm here," he tells her with what he hopes is a reassuring smile.

"Okay," she says with a nod.

He frowns at the tone of her voice. He knows she's not saying something. "What is it?" He asks.

She looks up at him and takes a deep breath. "Listen, I really appreciate you saying that you'll be here, but I just…"

"What?"

"I don't know… I just… I know you feel guilty about hurting me and-"

"Andy, I'm hurt, too, you know," he interjects. "Do you think _this_ is what I wanted?" He asks, gesturing between the two of them. "This is the _last_ thing I wanted…. All I wanted was to be with you. I really just wanted us to work," he tells her.

She snorts at that. "Seriously? You wanted us to work? Sam, you barely gave us a chance," she accuses.

"What?" He asks, completely taken back by her words.

"Almost every morning, you were out the door with some ridiculous excuse. And do you realize that I still barely know anything about you? I mean, you refused to talk to me or open up about pretty much anything. You never fully let me into your life. And then… then you bolted the second things got real… I thought… I thought you were _showing_ me how you felt with your actions. I kept telling myself that you holding my hand at the station or going to my dad's on his birthday or holding me when I had a nightmare meant that you loved me, but now I know that I was just kidding myself," she tells him.

"Andy…"

"No Sam, it's fine. It's better that you ended it before things went any further with us. It was just… it was probably never going to work. Now, we just need to figure out a way to… I don't know… I guess be friends and raise this kid together," she says with a hand on her stomach.

There's so much he wants to say to her, but his mouth isn't behaving. He wants to tell her that he _does_ love her, that he's loved her for longer than he'd ever care to admit. He wants to tell her how much he misses her, how he never stops thinking about her. He wants to tell her that he made a huge mistake. But he doesn't.

"Yeah, okay," is all he can say.

=========Expecting=========

The second he leaves her place, his brain is screaming at him.

God, he is such an idiot.

Everything she said tonight was the truth. He did all of those things. He ran out on her in the morning. He kept her at arm's length. He never told her how he felt.

He really thought he was trying. God knows he tried harder with her than he ever had with any other relationship, but it still wasn't enough. She deserved so much more from him, but honestly- he was just terrified.

After everything that happened between them and all of the times she'd run from him before, he was still half convinced that one day she'd wake up and change her mind. And so yeah, he may have just been preparing himself for that and in turn, he's the one that ruined everything between them.

That's when he thinks that maybe he can just be better. Maybe he can be the man that she deserves to be with. Maybe he can fix himself. For her and their baby.

So, he tells himself that he's going to do everything he can for her. He's going to be there every single step of the way throughout this pregnancy and beyond. He's going to be the best father he can be and he's going to show her that he'll do whatever it takes to make it all work. He's going to change. He's going to be more open with her. He's going to let her in. He's going to stop being so completely terrified of his feelings for her.

Because, seriously- what does he have to lose?

=========Expecting=========

Well, there is chapter one. Please let me know what you think!

And as always, definitely don't hesitate to give me ideas and suggestions for what you'd like to see happen. I always love to hear what everyone thinks.

And of course, if you have a better idea for a title, PLEASE let me know!


	2. Friends

Well, I got such a great response from my first chapter that I decided to post this one as a reward for all of the amazing reviews

Keep 'em coming!

==========Expecting==========

It's been three weeks since he found out he's going to be a father and so far, it's been… good.

It took some convincing, but he eventually persuaded Andy into carpooling to and from work each day. He's pretty sure she only agreed because she's so exhausted and nauseous in the morning, that she doesn't want to walk, but he doesn't care. He just wants to do whatever he can to make her life easier. And he doesn't hate the fact that it means he gets to spend a little time with her, even if it's just for the ten minute drive to and from the station. And yeah, there is definitely still some awkwardness and uncertainty, but he's actually made her laugh a few times, so it's progress.

He's trying to take it slow. He doesn't want to push himself on her, he just wants her to know that he's there. He figures maybe they can try to be friends for a bit. Then, hopefully, he'll be able to slowly rebuild her trust and maybe then, they can eventually start over.

Above all, he really just wants to be there for her. Whatever she needs, whenever she needs it. He's going to be there. No matter what.

So when she casually mentions that the sound of her leaky faucet was driving her crazy last night, he shows up at her place two hours before shift with a toolbox in hand and spends twenty minutes fixing it for her.

He's pleasantly surprised when she offers him some lunch. For the first ten days, the most she had been was polite- never saying or doing more than she needed to. It has been getting better recently, though. She started talking more and being nicer, but he thought they still had a long way to go. So yeah, she surprised him when she made him a sandwich and told him to stay. The fact that she's letting him sit and eat lunch with her… it's something. And he'll definitely take it.

For the first ten minutes, they eat in relative silence, just watching some Friends rerun, and surprisingly, it's not even that awkward.

"Do you think I'll be a good mom?" She asks, eventually.

He turns to look at her and finishes chewing before speaking up. "Yeah, I know you will," he replies with a smile. And it's the truth. He has no doubt that she'll be an amazing mother.

"Really?" She asks with some surprise. Did she really think he was going to say something else?

"Yeah," he nods. "You uh… you think I'll be a good dad?" He asks with some hesitation.

"Yeah," she says with a smile.

He stares at her for a second, seemingly trying to figure out if she's being truthful. When he's satisfied that she is, he lets out a sigh. "I guess I… I guess I never really told you about my old man," he begins.

She sits up a little straighter and wants for him to continue. "No, you didn't," she says softly. She sits and watches him for a moment, obviously struggling with what he's about to say. "What about him?" She asks, trying to assure him when it seems like he needs a bit of a push.

"He isn't a good guy," he tells her as he meets her gaze. "He's… in prison," Sam explains.

He can see the wheels turning the moment the words come out. He's waiting for the rapid fire questions that will likely start coming out of her mouth any second. Then, he sees the lightbulb go off.

"So, that story… about the pistachio ice cream?" She wonders.

"Yeah," he nods. "One of the only good memories I have of him," Sam adds.

"What is he in for?" She asks, cautiously. She doesn't want to push him too much, but she _is_ curious.

"He got six months for armed robbery when I was seventeen… when he was inside, he got in a fight and killed a man. Got twenty years," he explains.

"Oh," she replies.

"Yeah… but before that, he was basically in and out of prison my whole life," Sam continues. "But it was better that way… when he was inside," he tells her.

He sees the curious look on her face and he knows she has a list of questions she's dying to ask, but she's probably trying not to pry. But he promised himself that he was going to be more open with her and he's done with broken promises.

"When he was inside, it was rough… My mom had to work two jobs, so Sarah and I were home alone a lot… She pretty much took care of me on her own, you know? Then, when she got attacked, everything changed. She couldn't really take care of herself, let alone a nine year old kid, so I tried to take care of her the best I could, but I don't know… I had no idea _what_ I was doing and nothing I did really helped… so yeah, it was really tough, but it was always worse when he was around," Sam explains. "Most days he was drunk and belligerent before two o'clock, but even when he was completely sober, I hated being around him. He always knew exactly what to say to get to you… to make you feel completely worthless. And my mom was an entirely different person when he was home… I don't know, she always just seemed so… anxious and scared and… broken. I hated it. The things he would say to her were just… awful. And I guess she believed everything he said," he tells her, as she just sits and listens. "And he would hit her sometimes," he confesses. "Well, it was probably more than sometimes… I just wasn't always there to see it," Sam adds.

When he stops to look at her, he can see that her eyes are watering a little bit and before he knows it, she's wrapped her arms around his neck and is hugging him really tight. He wraps his arms around her waist and holds her there as the familiar smell of her shampoo fills his nostrils. And for a moment, he just feels completely at peace. God, he's just _really_ missed her. Then, all too soon, she's pulling away and sitting back on the couch.

"You're not going to be anything like him," Andy assures him, seemingly reading his mind. "And if _you_ don't believe that… I'm sure enough for the both of us," she adds. "You're going to be a really great dad."

He smiles at her and he honestly feels ten pounds lighter. He's not sure what he thought would happen when he told her about his father, but it's gone better than he ever could've hoped. Although, now he just feels even more ridiculous for not telling her sooner.

==========Expecting==========

It's been three weeks since she told him about the baby and so far, it's been… interesting.

She's honestly not sure what the hell is going on. Everything is just so confusing. She just has no idea what to think.

He pretty much insisted that he's going to drive her to and from work every day. And she was against it at first, but honestly, she's just so exhausted and nauseous in the morning, that she eventually gave in.

And part of her appreciates that he wants to do these things for her, but another part of her just wishes he wouldn't.

She's _already_ missing him a ridiculous amount and him being so… wonderful is just making everything harder. And it doesn't really make sense, but spending all of this time with him just makes her miss him even more.

At first, she tried being cold and distant. She spent plenty of car rides in almost complete silence, only speaking when absolutely necessary. But it didn't help- it just made him try even harder to make her happy. He'd start telling her ridiculous stories just to make her laugh- the time Oliver sprayed himself with pepper spray, the time Jerry mistakenly asked out a high school senior, the time he and Noelle came back from lunch and found a 70 year old couple groping each other against the squad car, the time Frank accidentally shot Boyd with a taser and so on.

And as much as she tried to stand her ground, it worked. She would laugh and he would get this amazing grin on his face like he was so proud of himself.

And for a moment, it would almost feel normal. Like he hadn't completely broken her heart. Like she wasn't carrying his baby. Like he actually still wanted to be with her. Like they really had a chance to be together. And it was wonderful and awful all at the same time.

She's not sure when, but somewhere along the line she stopped giving him the silent treatment and he stopped having to work so hard to make her smile.

She really has no idea when it happened, but she thinks they might actually be friends again. And honestly, a part of her is happy about it because if this co-parenting thing is ever going to work than they'll need to be friends. But also, a part of her really hates it because she's not sure how she's ever going to be okay with just being his friend.

But she promised herself that she's going to try. She's going to try and be his friend because that's what's best for the baby and she is really determined to be a good mother.

So yeah, when he shows up at her place to fix her leaky faucet, she makes him a sandwich and invites him to stay for lunch. Because that's what friends do, right?

==========Expecting=============

"Sam, seriously. This is disgusting. You don't have to sit here," she tells him as she kneels in front of the toilet. About ten minutes after they finished their lunch, she started to feel nauseous and it was less than two minutes later that she was dashing to the bathroom.

And as she pukes into the toilet, he just sits there right beside her and rubs her back. And as much as she hates to admit it, it's actually really nice.

"It's okay. Can I get you anything? You want some ginger ale or peppermint tea or something?" He asks.

"Yeah, ginger ale would be great. Thanks," she tells him. He quickly gets up off the bathroom floor and retrieves a glass of ginger ale. When he gets back to her, she's throwing up again, so he just sits down and continues to rub her back.

After she stops throwing up and flushes the toilet, he hands her the glass of flat ginger ale and watches her take a large sip.

"Thanks," she tells him as she sits against the side of the bath tub.

"Is it always that bad?" He asks.

"Sometimes," she shrugs.

"Wow," he replies.

"Yeah, and the whole _morning_ sickness thing is total bullshit, it doesn't _just_ happen in the morning," she informs him.

"Really?" He asks.

She nods and takes another sip of ginger ale. "Usually, I'm okay in the afternoon, but I always feel nauseous before bed," she explains.

"How much longer does this last?" He asks. "I mean, you're almost three months pregnant… Is it gonna end soon?"

"God, I hope so," she exclaims.

==========Expecting=============

Several days later, he's knocking on her front door before his shift. She's working this afternoon, so he doesn't need to give her a ride, but he found her cell phone in his truck this morning and thought he'd drop it off on his way to work.

"Come in!" he hears her call through the door. So, he opens it and walks inside.

"Hey don't kill me, but I'm not ready yet!" she calls when she hears him open the door.

"What?" He asks, when he walks into the kitchen.

"Sam?" She says, questioningly as she peaks her head out from around the corner. "Oh, I thought you were Traci… What are you doing here?" She asks before going back around the corner into her bedroom.

"You left your cell in my truck," he yells so she can hear him.

"Oh thanks," she says a moment later when she walks out into the kitchen. When he sees that she's wearing a black sports bra and leggings, he remembers her mentioning that she and Traci were going to a yoga class this morning.

When she gets closer, he can't help but stare at her stomach. It's only just barely noticeable- only if you really look hard, but there is the beginning of a tiny bump starting to appear.

"Wow… you're… you're starting to show a little," he says, reaching out and placing his hand on her stomach.

"Um… yeah…" she says, obviously taken back by his touch.

He notices her uneasiness and quickly removes his hand. "Oh sorry… I didn't…. sorry," he says, fumbling over his words.

"No, it's okay," she assures him. "Is it really noticeable?" She asks, looking down at her stomach.

"Not really," he replies.

"Probably won't be able to hide it much longer," she muses.

"Yeah."

Silence.

"I can't believe there's really a baby in there," he says.

"I know. It's… crazy, right?" She agrees.

"Yeah," he nods.

And for the rest of the morning, his mind keeps wandering back to the baby that's starting to grow in her stomach. He wonders what their kid will look like- he's hoping for big doe eyes and maybe some dimples. And he wonders what kind of personality their kid will have- he's hoping for a mixture of tenacious and compassionate and curious and silly and maybe a bit overeager, just like its mother. And he wonders what their kid will be when they're grown up- he's hoping for almost anything but a cop.

And he wonders what kind of dad he'll be. He promises himself that he will be the kind of dad who always makes his kid feel loved and protected and safe. And he will never be the kind of dad who doesn't have time for his kid. He's going to help with homework and go to hockey games and dance recitals. He's going to build a treehouse and a swing set in the backyard. He's going to take them trick or treating and they'll go swimming at the beach and they'll play in the park. He's always going to be there. No matter what.

And he wonders what kind of mom she'll be. He wonders if she'll be easy going or if she'll worry about every little hiccup. He wonders if she'll sing lullabies and force their kid to eat vegetables. He wonders if she'll be the good cop and he'll be bad cop or if maybe it will be the other way around.

And then he wonders if they'll all be under one roof or if he'll only see his kid half the time.

And then he forces himself to think of anything else.

==========Expecting=============

Well, hope you liked it!

Don't forget to review! Maybe you'll convince me to post the next chapter sooner, too!


	3. Promises

Again, thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! And as promised, here is your reward!

You guys keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the chapters coming

==========Expecting=============

"You and McNally back together?" Oliver asks in between bites of his breakfast burrito.

"No," Sam responds without taking his eyes off the road. They barely made it out of the parking lot before he starts grilling him.

"You've been driving her to and from work almost every day," Oliver points out.

"So?"

" _So_ … it kind of seems like you're back together," Oliver replies.

"We're not," Sam tells him.

"Well, why not?" Oliver exclaims, causing Sam to finally look over at him. "What? Don't tell me you don't want her back," Oliver insists.

"I wasn't going to tell you that," Sam assures him.

"Ok… Good," Oliver nods. "So… she hasn't forgiven you yet? That's why you're not back together?" Oliver inquires.

"We haven't really talked about it," Sam admits with a shrug.

"Why the hell not?" Oliver questions.

Sam lets out a sigh and debates whether or not to tell him. Eventually, he decides that he really _does_ need to tell someone and Oliver _is_ his best friend _and_ a father. "She's uh… she's pregnant," he declares.

When Oliver doesn't say anything for a minute, Sam briefly glances over at him only to see the look of complete shock on his face.

"Uh… wow… Sammy… wow…" Oliver stutters.

"Yeah," Sam nods.

"So… what are you going to do?" Oliver questions.

"I don't know… right now, I'm just trying to be there for her," Sam replies.

"And then?"

"And then… we'll see." Sam answers.

"We'll see? That's it?" Oliver exclaims. "Sammy, if you want her back you have to do more than 'we'll see.' You have to _tell_ her," Oliver instructs.

"I don't want to push her… we're in a good place right now," he tells him. "As good as can be expected, anyway," he amends.

"She won't know unless you _tell_ her," Oliver reminds him.

Sam lets out a sigh. "I _will_ tell her… just… not right now. Right now, we're both trying to figure all of this out," he explains.

"Okay," Oliver says. "Just don't wait _too_ long."

"I know," Sam says with a roll of his eyes.

"And Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations, brother," Oliver tells him with a pat on his shoulder.

"Thanks," Sam replies.

==========Expecting=============

It's after shift and he's been waiting outside the woman's locker room for half an hour so he can give her a ride home. It's weird. She never takes this long to get ready. He briefly wonders if she already left, but he's been giving her rides every day so he figures she would at least tell him if she was leaving. Then, he wonders if she's not feeling well and that's why she's still in there. That's when he decides to go investigate.

The second he walks into the locker room, he sees her sitting there with her head in her hands. And she's crying. Sobbing, actually.

"Andy, what's wrong?" He asks as he sits down beside her and soothingly runs his hand up and down her back. She doesn't say a word. Instead, she just buries her face in his shirt and continues to cry. He wraps both arms around her and just sits there with her until she eventually starts to calm down maybe ten minutes later.

When she finally pulls away, she runs her hand over his chest where his t-shirt is wet from her tears. "Sorry," she apologizes.

"It's okay," he assures her. "What's going on?" He asks, with more than a hint of concern. He's only seen her cry twice and never like this, so it's definitely got him a little freaked out.

"It… it was just a tough day," she informs him with a shrug. "I'm okay… I'm just… _emotional_ ," she says, rolling her eyes at herself as she wipes the tears off her face.

"I think that's normal," he tells her with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah," she agrees.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asks.

She considers his question for a moment before she lets out a heavy sigh. "Did you hear about what happened at that daycare center today?" She asks, turning to face him.

"Yeah," he nods. "You worked it?" He asks, although from her behavior, he already knows that she did.

She nods. "I had to take statements from the parents and it was… rough… _really_ rough," she tells him. "It's just any other day, you know? They drop their kids off at daycare and go to work and then… then, suddenly they get this call that their kids are at the hospital, clinging to life… God Sam, it was _so_ awful. They were just in shock… and… and I just didn't know what to say… I mean, what _can_ you say in that situation? ….And it honestly took everything in me not to burst into tears every ten minutes… So, the second I stepped into the locker room I just broke down," she admits. "It's just so scary, you know? Having this person who relies on you to protect them and then realizing that you just… can't. No matter what, you can't protect them _all_ of the time. And there's just so many bad people in the world… And what if something happens?" She asks him with a hand placed on her stomach.

"Shh… it's okay. _Nothing_ is going to happen. I won't let anything happen, okay? To _either_ of you," he assures her.

"Sam, you can't promise that," she tells him with a slight shake of her head.

"Andy, nothing is going to happen," he repeats. Then, a moment later, he adds: "But if something ever _did_ happen, we'd get through it together," he promises.

"Together? Really?" She says, with that tone that says she doesn't believe him.

"Yes," he tells her.

"Sam, don't say shit like that if you don't mean it," she tells him as she starts to get a bit angry.

"I _do_ mean it," he replies, with a little desperation in his voice.

"Yeah, okay," she says, still obviously not believing his words.

"Andy," he says as he grabs her arm so she'll look at him. "I _do_ mean it… I know I made you a promise before and I… I didn't follow through, but… but that was a mistake, okay? I… I wasn't in a good place then. You _know_ that… And I know I don't deserve your trust right now, but I'm going to do whatever it takes so you can trust me again," he tells her.

"Okay," she says with a slight nod of her head, apparently somewhat appeased by his answer. She's not really sure if she can believe him, but she's just too emotionally drained to even think about it right now.

She takes a deep breath and stands up before turning back to look at him. "Ready?" She asks.

"Yeah," he says as he stands up.

"Sam?" She asks when they walk out into the hallway.

"Yeah?" He asks, turning towards her.

"Can we stop at Marie's on the way home? I need a root beer float… Really badly," she tells him.

He lets out a laugh. "Sure," he replies.

==========Expecting==========

A week after their conversation in the locker room, she seriously scares the shit out of him. There was a good few minutes when he thought he might not be able to keep his promise to her. And yeah, it was beyond terrifying.

He's running down the hallway with Epstein and Collins when he hears her yelling Katy's name and telling her to be careful. And he doesn't like the sound of her voice. He can hear the fear dripping from it and it makes his heart race.

When he finally gets to her, he sees her holding the grenade and his stomach drops. He tells Epstein to chase the suspect because there's no way he's leaving her.

"You guys gotta get Katy out of here," Andy declares. Her eyes are wide and she's breathing hard and she just looks terrified.

Collins takes the girl with him, not before telling them not to release the grenade inside. If he wasn't so completely terrified, he would've rolled his eyes at the kid and told him that they aren't idiots- obviously they aren't going to purposefully set off a grenade in some random building. But he _is_ completely terrified, so he just ignores the comment and turns back towards Andy.

"Sam, you don't have to be here… just go," she tells him.

"No," he replies as he steps closer to her. "Andy, just… just give me the grenade, okay?" He asks as he holds out his hand to take the grenade from her.

"What? No!" she responds.

"Andy, just give it to me and get the hell out of here," he tells her, more sternly this time.

"Sam, I'm _not_ doing that," she tells him.

"Andy," he says again, even more exasperated this time.

"Sam, just… just stop, okay? If I pass it to you, if could go off," she explains, figuring he might accept that explanation.

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, okay, fine," he agrees.

They stand there in silence for a minute, before she speaks up again. "You really don't need to stay here," she tells him again.

"I'm not leaving you," he replies, as if her request is the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard.

She lets out a breath and is about to say something else when the bomb tech walks in. It doesn't take him more than a minute to disarm the grenade and thankfully, they all walk out of there moments later.

But yeah, the whole thing still scares the shit out of him.

==========Expecting==========

"You really freaked me out today," he tells her about an hour later on the drive home from the barn.

She doesn't say anything. Instead, she just turns towards him, waiting for him to continue.

"You should never have taken that grenade," he tells her. "It was really reckless… dangerous… you could've been killed," he adds.

"You would've done the same thing," She spits back. She knows he is just concerned, but she hates when he questions her decisions.

He lets out a sigh. "Andy, you're pregnant," he reminds her.

"I'm still a cop, Sam," she replies, as if he didn't know.

"I know, I just… I thought… you just seriously scared the shit out of me," he tells her.

She sighs and the expression on her face softens. "I know… I scared myself, too," she admits.

They continue to drive in silence for a few minutes before she eventually speaks up again. "I guess I should probably talk to Frank about staying off patrol from now on," she says, begrudgingly.

His eyes widen in surprise. He definitely didn't expect her to say that. He figured he'd have to bring it up and then get yelled at for a while before she eventually came around. "Do you want me to go with you?" He asks.

"That's okay… I'll do it tomorrow," she promises.

"I don't mind," he tells her.

"No, I don't think we need to make it anymore awkward than it already will be," she tells him.

"Okay… if you change your mind…"

"I know. Thanks," she replies.

"I'm just… I'm really glad you're okay," he tells her a few minutes later.

"Yeah," she agrees as her hand finds her stomach.

==========Expecting==========

Let me know what you think!


	4. Confessions

==========Expecting==========

"How did it go?" Sam asks after parade. Andy is assigned to booking today, so he figures that she actually _did_ end up talking to Frank. If he's being honest, he was kind of worried that she'd back out at the last minute, but to his surprise, she followed through.

"Fine," she replies with a shrug.

"What did he say?" Sam asks, when she doesn't elaborate.

"Congratulations," she answers.

"Oh, okay… what did you say?" He wonders.

She shoots him a strange look and stares him down for a second as if she's trying to read his thoughts, before she eventually answers. "I didn't tell him you were the father if that's what you're asking," she tells him, with just a little bit of attitude.

"Oh uh… you could've, you know… I mean, people are going to find out," he replies.

She sighs and feels a little guilty for snapping. "I know… I mean, he probably assumes you're the father, I just didn't think it was my place to tell him," she explains with a shrug.

"I told Oliver," he confesses.

Andy nods. "I figured… he keeps staring at my stomach," she says with a chuckle.

"Well, at least he agreed to cover my shift so I can go to the ultrasound tomorrow," he informs her. "Although, I still had to promise to babysit the girls this weekend," Sam laughs.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," she replies.

"I wanted to," he assures her. "Unless… you don't _want_ me to go?" he adds.

"No, no, you can go… I just… I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to," she explains with a lot of awkwardness. .

"Okay well, I'd like to go," he tells her with a smile.

"Okay," she says with a shrug.

"Okay… I could pick you up at 10 and we could grab some breakfast before the appointment if you want," he offers.

"Yeah, sure," she agrees.

"Okay, well I better go find Collins," he tells her.

"Have a good shift," she offers.

"You too."

==========Expecting==========

The drive home from the doctors is spent in relative silence with neither of them saying a word for a while. They are both a bit stunned by what just happened. Seeing their baby for the first time… hearing its heartbeat. It's more than a little overwhelming. It just makes the whole thing feel all the more real. They are _actually_ having a baby.

"I uh… I guess I should probably trade this thing in, huh?" Sam says after about fifteen minutes of quiet.

"What?" Andy asks, turning towards him. She honestly has no idea what he's talking about.

"The truck," he clarifies. "Not the best car for a baby," he adds.

"It's fine. It has a back seat," she points out.

"Yeah," he agrees, but she knows he isn't convinced.

"You should keep it. You love your truck," she declares.

"Yeah, but somethings are more important," he reminds her.

She doesn't respond. She doesn't think she can. What the hell is she supposed to say to that?

"I could probably trade it in and get a good deal on two cheaper cars," he brings up moments later.

"What? Why would you do that?" She asks, confused.

"Well, I mean… you'll need a car once the baby comes… for when I'm at work and can't drive you…" he explains.

And yeah, she's stunned silent once again.

"Andy?"

"Uh Sam… wow… that is… that is _really_ nice, but it's completely unnecessary," she replies.

"Andy, you're going to need a car," he reminds her.

And the way he says it just annoys her for some reason. Suddenly, she's feeling a little defensive- like maybe he just thinks that she _needs_ him to take care of her or something. "I know, Sam. I'll figure it out. _Myself_ ," she snaps as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Okay, I was just trying to help," he replies softly.

"Well, I don't need you to always come to my rescue! I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own," she tells him. "I don't _need_ your help," she adds.

"Andy… I… I know you don't _need_ my help. I know you could do all of this on your own if you had to, but… you _don't_ have to… Just because you could do it on your own, doesn't mean you should, okay? I'm just… I'm just trying to be here… I'm trying to do whatever I can to help. But it's not because I think you're lost without me or something. I know you're not," He conveys.

"Okay... I know… I'm sorry" she sighs. And for a moment, she feels guilty for snapping. She knows that Sam is just trying to help. She knows he's just trying to be there for her in whatever capacity she needs.

And he really has been amazing. As much as she says she could do this on her own, she's not actually sure if that's true. Everything he's been doing for her these past few weeks. She _does_ appreciate it.

"I just really want to be here for you," He says, glancing over at her. And her heart briefly swells upon hearing his words. But then she comes back to reality and just starts to get upset.

She knows he's trying to help, but he's really just making this all so much harder.

He's acting as if they're going to be some kind of real family. It's like they're still together… still a team. But they aren't. He made it perfectly clear that he didn't want that and now he's just making it impossible for her to move on.

He's being so wonderful and supportive and it's just too much.

She knows he's not doing it on purpose, but he's toying with her emotions and it isn't fair. They just can't keep going on like this. She can't keep going on like this.

"You okay? You're being really quiet," he points out a few minutes later, effectively snatching her from her thoughts.

She lets out a breath. "I don't know if I can keep doing this," she admits. And she's actually a bit surprised by her words, but she knows it's the truth.

"Doing what?" He asks, as he pulls into her condominium complex, parks the car and then turns to look at her.

"This," she says, gesturing between the two of them. "You… you being around all the time… doing all of these things for me," she tries to explain.

"Andy, I…"

"Look Sam, I'm not going to keep you from the baby or anything. You're the father and I want you to be in its life, I just… you're making this too difficult," she confesses.

"What? I… I thought I was helping," he says in disbelief.

"Sam, you… you _broke_ up with me and I'm trying to move on, but you being here all the time, being so… great. How am I supposed to get over you?" she asks, desperately. "You're just making this too hard," she says, desperately trying to hold back tears. "Maybe someday, we'll actually be able to be friends, but… not right now… I just… I need to move on and I can't do that if you're constantly around," she continues.

She can see the shock in his eyes when she says it and he doesn't say anything for a moment. Instead, he's just closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Andy, I… I don't _want_ you to move on. I haven't. I'm pretty sure I never will," he admits as he finally meets her eyes.

"Sam…"

"Look, I know I fucked up, okay? Ending things between us was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I was just so… broken and I thought I was doing the right thing, but… every reason I had back then… they all seem so ridiculous now. I just… I miss you and I think about you all the time and… Andy, I… I love you, okay?" he confesses. "I do. I love you… More than anything," he says with all of the confidence in the world. "And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that day in the truck. You were right when you said that I'd never said it before… I never needed to because I never felt it… not like this," he tells her. "I was kind of in shock when you said it but afterwards, when we got home… I wanted to tell you, I just… look, every good thing I've ever had in my life… it never lasted. And you were- you _are_ , the best thing that's ever happened to me… I guess I was always just waiting for that other shoe to drop, you know? Waiting for you to change your mind again and leave…. And as much as I wanted to be with you, I was still trying to keep you at arm's length. I was trying to protect myself, and I know that's not fair. And… if you ever wanted to give me another chance… give us another chance, I promise you things would be different… I promise I won't walk away again," he vows.

He waits for her to say something, but when she doesn't, he just keeps going. "I've been trying to show you that I can do better… that I can _be_ better. I've been trying to let you in more and talk to you and tell you things… that's why I told you about my dad… I've just been trying to be the kind of man that you deserve to be with because… because I know I wasn't before," he admits. "Andy, I've never wanted anything as badly as I want you… I love you... I really do."

She doesn't say anything for what feels like an eternity. She is just so… shocked. This is not at all what she was expecting when she started this conversation.

"Say something," he pleads.

"I uh… I… Sam, I… I _want_ to believe you, but… I mean, how can I? You've made that promise to me before. You told me you would fight for us, but… but, you didn't," she reminds him as her eyes start to well up a little.

He sighs. "I know, okay? I _know_ … but I won't make that mistake again… I will do whatever it takes to make us work. All I want is for us to be together. Please Andy," he begs, not caring how completely desperate he sounds.

"Sam, I don't know," she says with a shake of her head.

"Look, you don't have to decide right now. Let me prove it to you for a while, okay? I will keep proving it to you every day until you have no doubts… until you're absolutely sure… Please, just… let me prove it to you," he implores.

She just stares at him for a minute, going through all of it in her mind, trying to figure out what to do. But ultimately, she knows there's only one thing to do.

"Okay," she eventually says. Despite how absolutely terrified she is, she knows she has to at least give this some kind of chance. She loves him and she's not totally ready to give up on them yet. She's definitely not ready to be with him again, but she can at least give him the chance to try and change her mind, right?

He lets out the breath he's been holding and gives her a smile. "Okay. I'll uh… I'll pick you up for shift tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

==========Expecting==========

Well… what do you think?


	5. Anticipation

I'm seriously blown away by all of the reviews. I think I counted 28 in my e-mail for just that last chapter. So yeah, I figured I kind of _had_ to update this tonight.

Hope you enjoy!

==========Expecting==========

"Um… wow," Traci says as she sits on Andy's couch about an hour later.

"I know," Andy nods. She just spent the past ten minutes relaying every single thing Sam said to her today and honestly, she really wishes she could have a drink right now. Her head is still spinning from their conversation, which is why she called Traci the second he left. She just needed someone to talk through all of it with her. Although, ten minutes later and her head is still spinning.

"What are you doing to do?" She inquires.

"I don't know… I have no idea," she replies.

"You _want_ to be with him, don't you?" Traci asks.

"I love him, but… what if he bails again? What if… what if nothing changes? What if it's just like before? I can't do that to myself again… He broke my heart, Trace… more than it's ever been broken before," she says as she nervously picks at her fingernails.

"I know, but you said he's been opening up more," Traci reminds her.

"Yeah, he has," she agrees.

"And he was grieving Andy… he wasn't in his right mind and he made a stupid decision," Traci points out.

"I know… it's just… how am I supposed to trust that he won't do it again? Bad things happen all the time and… and what if he does the same thing the next time something happens?" she asks with a hand on her stomach.

"I don't know, Andy… I guess you just have to ask yourself if being with him is worth the risk," Traci says with a hand on her shoulder.

"God, I just… I don't know, Trace… I can't imagine being with anyone else, but this is so much bigger than just me now… we're finally in a good place… and if we try again and it doesn't work… it'll just make everything so much more complicated," she rationalizes. "I'm just fucking terrified… I can already feel myself considering it. I'm already thinking about what it would be like… me and him and this baby… being a real family… It's like I'm already getting my hopes up and it's just… what if I get hurt again?" She asks.

"I know," Traci responds. "But like Swarek said, you don't have to decide anything right now… Why don't you just let him prove it to you for a while?" Traci suggests.

"Yeah, I guess that's all I can do," she agrees.

==========Expecting==========

"Desk duty again? That's three shifts in a row. Is Frank punishing you for something, McNally?" Gail asks as the rookies walk out of parade.

Andy holds her breath the moment the words come out of Gail's mouth. She knew she'd have to tell them eventually, she just keeps putting it off. She's really not looking forward to all of the questions and the looks and everyone treating her differently the second they find out. But she can't keep hiding it, especially not from her friends.

So, she decides she has to tell them. Right now.

"Uh… no… actually, I asked him to take me off patrol," she explains, trying not to cringe as she awaits all of the questions she knows she's going to face.

"What? Why?" Dov asks.

"Uh, well… so… there's something I kind of need to tell you," she says as she stops in the middle of the hallway. The other rookies notice immediately, stop walking and turn towards her with questioning looks.

"What is it?" Chris asks, the worry clearly spreading throughout his face.

"Um I'm… I'm kind of… pregnant," she tells them, nervously averting their eyes.

They all just stare at her wordlessly with their jaws dropped open for what seems like forever until Gail finally speaks up. "Seriously?" She asks.

"Yeah," Andy nods, finally looking up at them.

"Is it… is it Swarek's?" Dov asks.

"Yeah," she confirms with a nod.

"Wow."

"Yep," she replies as she nervously chews on her bottom lip.

"So… what does that mean for you two?" Chris asks with some obvious hesitance.

"Uh… I don't know… We're figuring it out," she shrugs. Truthfully, she has no idea what's going on with the two of them right now. It's been three days since his confession and they haven't discussed it since, but he's been doing everything he can to prove his feelings for her and gain her trust back. She knows he has. And it's been kind of wonderful, actually. She really did miss him. But she's still completely terrified. Every time she thinks about it, she just gets freaked out, so she tries her best not to think about it. Although, it hasn't really been working very well.

"Well, we're here for you… whatever you need," Chris tells her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm _great_ with kids," Dov adds.

"Okay, well if Dov is offering to babysit, I guess that means I'm off the hook," Gail quips, causing Andy to laugh.

"Thanks guys," she says, before making her way towards the front desk. She lets out a breath as she walks away. That wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be. Although, she doesn't think telling everyone else will be as easy.

==========Expecting==========

She knows she's staring. She knows, but she just can't help it.

The things is, she's a little bit mesmerized by what's going on in the middle of the barn right now. Seeing it… it's just doing something to her. She can't look away, even if she wanted to. Although, she really doesn't want to.

It was maybe ten minutes ago that Noelle came by and dropped Olivia in Sam's lap so she could go talk to Frank in his office. And Andy's been watching ever since.

And God, it's honestly too much. Seeing him with her. It's doing things to her heart that she couldn't even begin to explain.

She can't hear what he's saying, but he's _talking_ to her. And he's tickling her and she's just giggling away. And he's grinning. This giant grin of his that he doesn't bring out too often. And he just looks so natural with her- like he's done this thousands of times before. And he looks happy. Really happy.

It's not as if she ever doubted that he'd be a good dad. She really didn't. Not once.

But she's never really seem him interact with a child like this. She's seen him with Oliver's kids and she knows they completely adore him, but they are much older, so it's not really the same. She's just never seen him with a baby before. And it's pretty much the sweetest thing she's ever witnessed.

So yeah, she just can't stop staring.

She can't stop imagining how he'll be with their child. Probably over-protective and worrying about every tiny thing. And he'll probably be completely wrapped around their little finger. He'll get roped into tea parties and daddy daughter dances or spending hours playing with Legos and coaching little league. And he'll probably pretend to be the bad cop, but really, he'll totally be the good cop.

Yeah, she knows he's gonna be a great dad, but for the first time, she's actually kind of excited to get to see it.

==========Expecting==========

When she walks out of the locker room after shift the next day, he's leaning against the wall waiting for her, just as he has been every other day.

"Hey," he greets her with a smile.

"I felt the baby move today!" she announces with a grin.

"What? Really? When?" He asks.

"This afternoon," she replies.

"I wish I could've felt it," he comments.

"I read that once I start feeling the baby moving, it's usually just another couple weeks before you can feel it," she informs him.

He nods along and starts to lead her towards the parking lot. "What did it feel like?" He wonders.

"Sam, it was _so_ weird," she tells him, eliciting a laugh. "But also completely amazing," she adds.

"Now you're just rubbing it in," he pouts.

She lets out a laugh as he opens the door to the parking lot for her and she steps through the threshold. "It was such a weird feeling though," she continues. "It's like this strange twitching feeling… like when you have a muscle spasm, but it was in my stomach… and it kind of tickled," she explains.

"Wow," he replies. "I can't wait until I can feel it," he tells her as he opens the passenger door to his truck for her.

"Well, it'll be soon," she replies.

"Yeah," he nods before shutting her door and walking around his truck. "What do you want for dinner?" He asks as he hops in his truck.

"Can we stop at the grocery store?" She asks.

"Craving something?" He asks with a knowing smile.

"Yes," she admits with a sheepish smile.

"Do I even want to know?" He asks with an amused laugh. Lately, her pregnancy cravings have been nothing short of bizarre.

"Shut up, I'm growing a human being in here," she says as she points to her stomach. "It's hard work," she adds.

"I know," he appeases her. "Of course we can stop at the store. What do you need?" He asks.

"Don't make fun of me," she requests.

"I won't," he promises.

She eyes him for a second, unsure if she believes him, but eventually she starts reciting her list out loud.

"Sour patch kids, banana peppers, mashed potatoes and chunky peanut butter," she tells him.

"You're not going to eat those together are you?" He asks.

"No, that's gross," she tells him with a disgusted look.

"Oh but dipping your potato chips in pickle juice isn't?" He asks, referring to one of last week's cravings.

"Shut up. It was good," she retorts.

"And the mozzarella cheese and grape jelly on your cinnamon waffles?" He asks.

"That was delicious!" she exclaims.

"And what about the burnt popcorn smothered in BBQ sauce?"

"Also delicious," she argues.

"And what about when you ate that jar of olives with ketchup?" He reminds her.

"Okay, I'll give you that one… That was gross," she concedes.

"Yeah," he nods with a laugh.

"Okay anyway, we also need to get some guacamole and watermelon… and Cheez-Its!" she tells him.

"Whatever you want," he tells her with a smile.

==========Expecting==========

Once again, I'm blown away by all of the amazing reviews! I seriously appreciate every single one. And they really do motivate me to update quickly. So, please let me know what you thought of this chapter!

On another note, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do regarding the sex of the baby, but I'd love to hear your input. I may be persuaded to change my mind…


	6. Giving In

Okay so asking everyone's opinion on the sex of the baby was a TERRIBLE idea. It just made me super confused.

Originally, I was planning on them having a boy since Sam had a girl on the show and in my other story- After- they had a girl first. Plus I already had this cute scene written that would only work if they were having a boy.

THEN, the first six reviews that mentioned the baby's gender said they wanted a girl. So then I started thinking about it and I came up with some scenes I could write if it was a girl and eventually, I decided that they'd have a girl. And I figured I could use that cute scene I wrote in my story, After, for when they have a boy. SO I started going through everything I had written and changing everything from he to she and wrote some additional stuff that only works if they're having a girl.

And I thought I had made my decision, but then I got like six reviews in a row asking for a boy.

So yeah, then I was really confused. I'm still confused actually.

And I kind of want to go back to them having a boy, but then I wouldn't be able to use the cute scenes I wrote for the girl, so ultimately, I'm sticking with what I have now. This way I can use ALL of the scenes I had written- if not in this story, I can use it in After.

Although now I'm feeling like half of you will be disappointed. I mean, seriously- what are the odds that out of all the people who chose boy or girl, it's completely split down the middle! Ridiculous….

Anyway, hope no one is disappointed.

==========Expecting==========

She can feel herself giving in. It's been three weeks since their conversation in the truck and he's been nothing short of perfect.

He holds her hair back while she throws up. He rubs her feet when they hurt. He drops everything to run to the store and get her whatever it is that she's craving at the moment. He holds her until she stops crying after she watches a sad movie (or sometimes even a sad commercial).

And he's been opening up to her more, too. He's been telling her stories about his childhood and as hard as it was, they even talked about Jerry's death.

So yeah, she feels herself relenting and that scares the shit out of her. It's possible that she may have even picked a couple fights with him for the sole misguided purpose of pushing him away. But that completely backfired because he's even more wonderful when he knows she's upset.

The thing is, she _does_ want to be with him. She can't even imagine being with anyone else and the thought of _him_ being with someone else just makes her sick. She loves him. More than she's ever loved anyone.

So yeah, she does want to be with him. She's just beyond scared.

If they try again and it doesn't work… she just couldn't handle that. Losing him was the worst thing that's ever happened to her and she just can't go through that again.

And then there's the fact that they're having a baby together and their decisions don't just effect the two of them anymore. There is someone else involved now and if it doesn't work out between them, it could have a serious impact on their ability to co-parent. It's just that they are finally in a good place and she doesn't want to mess that up.

But she also doesn't want to spend the rest of her life just being his friend.

So yeah, she wants to be with him, but she's just not ready to actually _be_ with him.

She just wants to feel more confident about the whole thing. And she just doesn't… not yet.

==========Expecting==========

It's been three weeks since their conversation in his truck and he thinks that she's starting to come around.

Besides the few fleeting moments where it seemed like she was trying to push him away, she's been letting him in more. They've been eating dinner together and sometimes they hang out on the couch and watch a movie after shift. And they've been talking a lot.

He's really been trying to open up to her more. He just wants to show her that things will be different this time. And he thinks she's starting to see that. He thinks she's starting to trust him again.

She's been sitting close to him on the couch. And she doesn't flinch when he touches her anymore. She lets him rub her feet or give her a hug when he's leaving. When she's emotional, she even lets him comfort her until she feels better. And she lets him touch her stomach and sometimes, when she's tired, she'll rest her head on his shoulder and let him wrap his arm around her.

It's small, but he'll take it. He'll take whatever he can get with her. No matter how small. Because for the first time in a while, he actually feels hopeful about their future.

==========Expecting==========

She tosses her keys on the kitchen counter before making her way to the couch. They're both still a little lost in their own thoughts and yeah, a bit dazed.

"I can't believe we're having a girl," she says with a hand on her stomach, once she's collapsed on the couch.

"I know," he agrees as he sits beside her. When she looks over at him, she's struck by the look on his face. It's part disbelief and part complete and utter joy. And she's pretty sure it's the same expression she's wearing at the moment.

"What do you think she'll be like?" Andy asks.

"I don't know," he tells her. "Probably awesome," he adds with a grin.

"Yeah, probably," she agrees with a big smile.

"I hope she's just like you," he tells her, causing her smile to widen. It's probably one of the sweetest things he's ever said to her and it's honestly making her feel warm all over.

"Oh yeah? You sure you can handle _two_ of us?" She teases.

"Yeah," he nods. "Can't wait," he says with a smile as he pushes some hair out of her face. She's been letting him do that recently- very casual touching. And he seriously enjoys every second.

"You happy it's a girl?" She asks after a couple minutes. "I mean… were you hoping for a boy?" She wonders.

"I would've been just as happy with a boy, but I secretly wanted a girl," he admits.

"Really?"

"Yeah, what about you? You happy?" He asks.

"Yeah, I'm happy," she nods and gives her a smile. "I can just picture it now… she's gonna have you wrapped around her little finger the moment she comes out," she muses.

He smiles. Truth be told, he knows she's right.

==========Expecting==========

"So… how was the ultrasound?" Oliver asks Sam the next morning as they are each fixing their coffee.

"Surreal," Sam comments. "You could actually see her moving around in there," Sam says.

"Her?" Oliver asks.

A smile spreads across Sam's face as he turns to meet Oliver's eyes. "Yeah. It's a girl," Sam tells him.

"Oh wow… Sammy, you are going to be in _so_ much trouble," Oliver teases, causing Sam to let out a laugh. "Congratulations, brother," Oliver adds with a pat on the back.

"Thanks," Sam replies.

"You excited?" Oliver asks.

"Yeah," Sam says with a nod and a smile as he sips his coffee.

"What about Andy? She excited?" Oliver wonders.

"Yeah… I think so. She seemed happy," Sam replies.

"So… what's going on with you guys?" Oliver questions.

"I don't know… We haven't talked about it since that first ultrasound, but… it feels like things are getting back on track," he offers.

"Good," Oliver says with a nod. "Man, I can't believe you're really having a little girl," Oliver muses.

"I know," Sam agrees.

"Let's just hope she gets Andy's eyebrows," he teases.

Sam rolls his eyes, but ultimately decides to let the comment go. "I'm hoping she gets Andy's everything," he says instead.

==========Expecting==========

"You hungry?" He asks as they walk into her condo.

"A little, but I can make something… you don't have to stay here and take care of me, Sam. You're allowed to have a life," she tells him. He's been hanging out with her almost every night for the past three weeks and although she has been enjoying his company, she feels a little guilty. He hasn't spent much time with his friends in forever and she knows it's because of her.

He shoots her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to hang out with me every night… you're allowed to have a night to yourself. Why don't you go to the Penny or something?" she suggests.

"Andy, I'm exactly where I want to be," he assures her. "Unless… I mean… if _you_ want a night to yourself, I can go," he offers.

"No, I don't," she assures him.

"Okay. Good," he says with a smile. "Neither do I," he adds.

"Okay… but seriously… if you _did_ want to go to the Penny or I don't know… poker night… don't feel like you're not allowed to or something… I think I'll survive one night on my own," she jokes.

"I'll keep that in mind," he says with a little smirk. "Now, why don't you go watch TV and I'll start dinner," he suggests.

"Or I could help," she offers.

"Okay, yeah," he replies with a smile.

"I'll chop the vegetables," She offers.

"Okay," he agrees.

After getting everything from the fridge, she grabs a knife from the drawer and a cutting board from the cabinet and begins chopping while Sam washes the chicken.

"Oh my God," she exclaims a minute later as she drops the knife onto the counter.

"What?" He asks as he hurries over to her with a look of concern on his face. "You okay?" He asks as he places his hand on her back.

"Holy shit, feel this," she says as she grabs his hand and places it on her stomach. She holds it there until she sees his eyebrows jump.

"Whoa," he says, his hand still on her stomach.

"I know! She's kicking," Andy exclaims.

"That's… crazy," Sam replies. He leaves his hand there for a while, just enjoying the feeling of their daughter kicking. "Is this the first time… that she's kicked like this?" He asks, still completely mesmerized by what's going on in her stomach.

"Don't you think I would've told you if it happened before?" She asks.

"Yeah… yeah, I guess," he says with a nod as he places his other hand on her stomach as well.

"It's the first time," she confirms with a smile. "Usually, I just feel her moving around a little bit, but I've never felt her kick me like this," she explains.

"She really is kicking," Sam comments a moment later with a look of complete amazement on his face. "Think we got a little soccer player in there?" He asks, finally looking up at her with a smile.

"Yeah, maybe," she nods, unable to keep the grin off her face.

They stand there for at least another five minutes, just enjoying the feel of their baby kicking.

"Pretty cool, right?" Andy asks, eventually.

"It's… amazing," he tells her with a smile. "There's really a baby in there," he muses. "Our baby," he adds with a smile.

"Yeah," she nods.

"It's just… wow," he says, unable to come up with the words to describe how he's feeling right now.

"I know," she agrees.

==========Expecting==========

Once again, thanks for all of the amazing reviews. Please keep 'em coming!


	7. Consoling

To the guest who's been leaving nasty reviews, if you don't like the story, no one is forcing you to read it. I'm all for constructive criticism, but telling me that I write like a teenager with daddy issues is completely unnecessary.

Anyway, to everyone else- I really appreciate all of the kind words. They seriously put a smile on my face every time.

Things were a bit crazy at work when I got back from my mini vacation, so I didn't really have much time for updates. Thus, I'm posting an extra long chapter now. Enjoy!

==========Expecting==========

It's a little before six o'clock when he knocks on her front door. She had the day off today, but they were planning on hanging out after his shift.

"Hey," he greets her when she opens the door.

"Hey," she replies as she steps aside to let him in.

"You want to eat now or should I put this in the fridge and we can heat it up later?" He asks as he holds up the take out he brought over.

"I had a late lunch so I'll have some later, but you can eat if you're hungry," she tells him as they walk into her kitchen.

"I'm good, I'll just put it in the fridge for now," he says as he opens her refrigerator door and shifts some items around so the take out will fit.

"Your daughter has been very active tonight," she tells him after they both get settled on the couch.

"Oh yeah?" He asks with a grin.

"Yeah, she's been kicking me for the past hour," she informs him.

He leans over and places a hand on her stomach, hoping to feel the baby kicking. He's been able to feel it quite a few times by now, but it's still completely surreal each and every time he does. And it's not something he could ever get sick of experiencing.

His hand has only been there for a few seconds before he can feel it. And it's much stronger than what he's felt before.

"Wow, she _is_ kicking," he agrees.

"I know."

"Does it hurt?" He wonders.

"Sometimes… a little… Just when she kicks certain spots… Mostly, it's just kind of weird and maybe a bit uncomfortable, but I don't mind… I like it feeling her," she says with a smile.

Sam looks up at her and is pretty much beaming. "Me too," he agrees.

"So how was your day?" She asks a minute later.

"It was fine," he says with a shrug.

"Fine? That's it? Sam! I'm living vicariously through you right now. I need way more than fine!" She exclaims, causing him to let out a laugh.

"Okay, well uh Collins and I got called to a liquor store robbery… turns out the thief was the owner's own wife… apparently she had no idea that he has an inventory system. And after he found out, he still wanted to press charges," Sam explains with a laugh.

"Seriously? On his own wife?" She asks, incredulously.

"Yeah… I'm guessing he'll probably be sleeping on the couch for a while," he says.

"Yeah, I'd say that's a safe bet," she concurs.

"Oh and Ollie arrested this kid for stealing a car… the owner wasn't even a block away at the time and he saw the kid do it, so he called the cops. But the car was a standard and apparently the kid couldn't drive stick," Sam tells her with a chuckle. "You'd think he'd give up and just run, but no, he kept trying to get away with the car… he was still trying by the time Shaw and Diaz got there," Sam tells her as his chuckle turn into a full on laugh.

"What an idiot," she says with a playful shake of her head.

"Yeah," Sam agrees.

"Anything else happen?" She asks.

He nods as a smirk spreads across his face. "I'm saving the best for last," he tells her before he pauses for dramatic effect. "This afternoon, Peck and I arrested this 68 year old man for his 4th DUI. And of course, there had been some kind of mistake because he hadn't had anything to drink," Sam tells her in a mocking tone.

"Of course," Andy says with a laugh.

"He spent the entire ride to the station trying to convince us that the failed breathalyzer had to be because of the beer battered fish he ate for lunch," Sam with a silly grin on his face.

"Oh my God. You're joking," she accuses.

"Swear to God," he tells her with his hand in the air.

"Beer battered fish, seriously? Did he honestly think that would work… How drunk _was_ he?" She asks.

"Blew a .15," he informs her.

"So pretty drunk."

"Yep," he says with a nod.

"Jesus," she comments.

"So what did you do today?" He asks a moment later.

"Oh! I went shopping," she tells him as a smile starts to play on her lips.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah… wait here. I need to show you what I got!" She announces before hopping off the couch and making her way towards her bedroom. She appears a minute later with a big bag in her arms. She quickly sets it down on the coffee table and starts to dig through it.

"You're going to love these," she tells him before she starts pulling out some baby clothes and putting them down on the table behind the bag, so he can't sneak a peek. .

"You bought clothes for the baby?" He asks. It's silly but the thought kind of gives him this warm feeling inside.

"Yeah, and I may have gone a little crazy, but they were just so adorable!" she squeals.

"Are you gonna show me?" He asks with mock impatience.

"Yep… Okay, yeah… look at this one first," she says as she holds it up for him to see. It's a light pink onesie with tiny white polka dots and dark pink embroidery that says "This Girl Loves Her Daddy."

He gets a huge grin on his face as he takes it from her and looks it over for a moment as he runs his fingers over the words.

"Cute, right?" She asks, watching his reaction.

"Yeah," he says, still focused on the item in his hands. He's just a little bit in awe. He knows they're having a baby, but for some reason, seeing this little onesie makes it feel even more real. "It's so small," he comments after a moment.

"Well, she's gonna be small at first," Andy reminds him.

"I know, it's just… wow," he says, still in a little bit of disbelief as Andy starting digging through the pile of clothes again.

"Okay, you'll _love_ this one," she says with a smirk as she holds it up for him. It's light green with navy letters that spell out, "I try to be good, but I take after Mommy."

He lets out a few laughs when he sees it as he places the pink onesie back on the table.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it," she grins. "Oh and look at this one," she says as she presents him with a white onesie that has a picture of a gold badge and blue letters that say. "Daddy's Little Rookie."

He gives her a big smile when she passes it over for him to look at.

"Oh and I thought this one was kind of funny," she tells him as she tosses him a light yellow onesie with a picture of a police officer's hat and navy lettering that says, "I love a man in uniform."

He playfully rolls his eyes, eliciting a laugh from Andy, as he reads it and then puts it back on the table.

"And this one isn't really appropriate for a baby to wear, but it was on sale and I just had to get it," she says with a big grin as she tosses him the purple onesie with big white letters that say, "My Mommy's a Badass."

He lets out a laugh. "Well, this is definitely true," he says as he flicks his eyes up to meet hers.

"Yeah, but I probably shouldn't dress our kid in it… at least not in public," she decides.

"Maybe it can be an 'at home' shirt," he suggests with a smirk.

"That works," she agrees as she places it back in the bag and picks up the last one.

"And this one might be my favorite," she tells him before she holds out a coral colored onesie with lettering that says. "Watch out boys, my Daddy's a cop."

"Yeah, this one is definitely my favorite," he agrees with a laugh.

"So you like them?" She asks with a smile as she sits back down on the couch beside him.

"Yeah… just can't wait 'til she's actually wearing them," he beams as he sticks his hand back on her stomach.

"Me too," she agrees with a grin.

==========Expecting==========

When he's not waiting for her after shift, she is a bit surprised. Sure, she finished up a bit earlier than she usually does, but he is _always_ waiting for her. So, she decides to just go looking for him.

And it doesn't take long for her to find him. She can hear him laughing from the end of the hall. And when she finally does find him, she feels sick to her stomach at what she sees.

There he is- in the kitchen, standing right next to Marlo, 15's newest training officer. It's her second week on the job and Andy hasn't really spent much time with her, but she's never had anything against her… until now.

It's the way she's just completely grinning at Sam that makes Andy uncomfortable.

"I'm impressed, Swarek," she says. And she's definitely flirting. And Andy is pretty sure she's going to throw up.

"Well, what can I say?" He asks with a shrug. "I'm an impressive guy," he jokes.

"Oh I'm sure you are," she says with a smile.

He lets out a laugh and then grabs a water bottle out of the fridge. "So how you liking 15?" He asks.

"Good so far… seems like a great group," she replies.

"Yeah," he agrees before taking a sip. That's when he looks at his watch and realizes he's got to go meet Andy. "Okay, well, I better get going. See ya Marlo," he says with a wave before turning to walk out of the kitchen.

"Bye Swarek," she smiles.

That's when Andy starts to speed walk down the hallway, hoping he won't see her and she can just get the hell out of here. But of course, he spots her right away.

"Andy!" he calls to her. She lets out a breath and turns around.

"Hey," she greets him, trying her best to make it sound casual.

"You ready?" He asks with a smile.

"Sure," she shrugs.

The drive to her place is ridiculously quiet. He tries to talk to her several times, but she gives nothing but one word answers.

Her mind is racing and she is absolutely freaking out. She thought he wanted this. She thought he was waiting for her, giving her time. But maybe he's sick of waiting. Maybe she made him wait too long. Maybe he wants to be with Marlo now.

Marlo is pretty and smart and nice and not pregnant. Things would probably be so much simpler with her, so why wouldn't Sam want that?

When they get to her place, she practically jumps out of the truck and doesn't wait for him before she heads to the front door.

"Hey, you okay?" He asks, when he catches up to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she says. "But um I'm just really tired, so I think I'm just gonna go lie down," she tells him when she unlocks her front door and walks through the threshold.

He follows her inside before she can shut the door and he quickly reaches for her arm to stop her. "Hey, what's going on?" He asks as he turns her around to face him.

"Nothing. I just don't really feel like hanging out tonight," she shrugs, unable to look him in the eye.

"Andy, you're obviously upset about something… Talk to me," he pleads as he steps closer to her and caresses her cheek with his hand.

She immediately pulls away from him and goes into the kitchen to get something to drink. She is grabbing a water out of the fridge when he walks into the room.

"Andy…"

"Does Marlo know I'm pregnant with _your_ baby?" She blurts out. Everyone at the station has known for a while, but Marlo's only been at 15 for ten days, so she probably hasn't caught up on all of the station's gossip.

The question definitely takes him by surprise. "Um…. I don't know. Why?" He wonders.

She shrugs. "Just wondering if you thought to tell her."

"Uh… No, I haven't told her," he says, completely confused by this line of questioning. Why would he tell Marlo about Andy being pregnant?

"Yeah, that would probably hurt your chances, wouldn't it?" Andy snorts.

"What?" He asks, with widened eyes. " _What_ are you talking about?"

"I saw you two in the kitchen," Andy informs him.

"Okay… so?"

" _So_ , she was flirting with you," Andy replies. "And you weren't exactly discouraging her," she adds.

"She _wasn't_ flirting with me," he disagrees.

"Really? Do you not know what flirting looks like?" She asks, incredulously.

He sighs. "Well, even if she was flirting. I really couldn't care less," he counters as he steps closer to her. "Andy, I'm not interested in Marlo, okay? You _know_ that you're the only person I want to be with," he assures her as he runs his hands up and down her arms. "At least, I _thought_ you knew that," he amends. "I love you, okay?" He tells her, when she doesn't say anything. "I don't want to be with Marlo… or anyone else. Just you."

She takes a moment to consider his words before she lets out a breath and nods her head a little. "Okay… okay… I… I just… the thought of you with… with _her_ …. I was just… I was worried that maybe you changed your mind about us… that you were tired of waiting," Andy admits, suddenly unable to look him in the eyes again.

"Hey," he says, lifting her chin with his finger so she'll look him. "I love you and I meant it when I said I'll wait as you long as you need," he assures her.

"Yeah… yeah, okay," she says as she wraps her arms around him and hugs him tightly. He wasn't expecting it, but he happily pulls her closer while running his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her as he places two kisses the top of her head.

They continue standing there for the next five minutes until Andy's stomach starts to grumble, causing them both to let out a couple laughs.

"Sounds like I should probably feed you," he says as he loosens his grip on her.

"Yeah," she agrees as she pulls away. "You probably should," she adds with a smile.

==========Expecting==========

She's been watching him from across the barn for a while and it's just… obvious.

It's the usual tells that anybody who knows him can spot. The way he runs his fingers through his hair, the way his jaw tenses up and his eyebrows furrow, and of course the way he shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.

He's not doing well.

And it's exactly what she expected.

As soon as she heard that he was the one who caught that call, she knew the rest of their shift would be rough.

And yeah, she was right.

She can only imagine how he's feeling- what kinds of memories this is drudging up.

She's just not sure what to do. She's never really had to comfort him before. He's never really _let_ her comfort him before… or maybe she just didn't try hard enough- she's not exactly sure.

She's just worried. She doesn't like seeing him like this. And she hates not knowing what to do about it.

She briefly considers going over to him and trying to make him feel better, but before she can figure out exactly _how_ to go about doing that, he gets called away and she doesn't see much of him for the next couple hours.

So, she pretty much spends the rest of the shift trying to figure out how she can help. And by the time her shift is over, she's _still_ at a loss.

When she sees him next, he's leaning up against the wall outside the locker room, waiting for her and it's still all over his face. He looks tired and defeated and frustrated. And she hates it.

"Hey," he says when he notices her.

She doesn't say anything. She just walks right up to him, drops her duffle bag on the ground, wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a hug.

She can feel the surprise radiate throughout his body, but a moment later, his arms wrap around her and he pulls her even closer. He buries his face in her hair and breathes her in. And at least for the moment, the tension seems to leave his body.

"Thank you," he mumbles into her hair a minute later.

She squeezes him a little tighter and they stay like that for a bit longer before she eventually pulls away.

"Ready?" She asks.

"Yeah, let's go," he says with a smile and a nod.

==========Expecting==========

They're sitting on the couch after dinner and she's been debating with herself for the last ten minutes whether she should bring it up. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't afraid of what could happen if she does. She can't help but remember what occurred the last time she tried to get him to talk. And the last thing she wants is a repeat of that.

But it's just not healthy for him to keep all of this in. And she just wants him to be comfortable talking to her about this sort of thing.

She's almost talked herself into it, when he turns the volume down on the television and shifts around on the couch so he's facing her. She takes his cue and does the same as she watches him try to get the words out of his mouth.

"You heard about today?" He says, although they both know that she has. She supposes that's just his way of getting the conversation started and that's fine.

She just nods and waits for him to continue.

"It just… it brought up a lot of bad memories," he tells explains as he starts to absent mindedly play with her hair. She's not even sure that he knows he's doing it. It's almost like he just needs a distraction- something to do, somewhere else to look. "The girl… Sophie… she's just a little older than Sarah was when… when it happened," he continues. "And I just can't help but think about everything that's ahead of her… everything she'll go through because of this one thing that happened to her,"

Andy grabs his other hand and interlocks their fingers, making Sam glance over at her for a second. He gives her a thankful smile and squeezes her hand.

"Sarah… she was just never the same after her attack, you know? This one thing completely changed her entire life… I mean, you have no idea how many times I've wondered what she would be like if it hadn't happened. Would she have finished high school? Would she have gone to college? Would she be married? Would she have kids? Would we still be close? It just… everything was different after that. She was timid and fragile and anxious and depressed. It's the reason she made so many bad choices. It's probably the reason we grew apart. And that girl and her family… they just have no idea what's waiting for them, but I do, you know? The nightmares, the depression, the panic attacks, the isolation, the drugs and alcohol… the suicide attempts … and just that constant feeling of being completely helpless… their lives are just never going to be the same after this," he finishes.

Andy lets out a breath. "I know…" she says as she squeezes his hand before pulling him into another hug. "I'm sorry that Sarah had to go through that and… and that you did," she tells him.

He doesn't say anything, but he does hold her a little tighter. And once again, they stay like that for a little while until one of them pulls away.

"What can I do?" She asks.

He meets her eye and gives her a slight smile. "You're doing it," he assures.

==========Expecting==========

Honestly, I had some trouble writing this chapter and I'm still not that happy with it, but I hope you like it.

Please review!


	8. Second Chances

==========Expecting==========

Two days later she's having dinner at her mother's townhouse when the topic of Sam comes up.

"So… how is Sam handling everything?" Claire asks in between bites of her salad.

"Um… he's been amazing, actually… better than I could ever ask for," Andy says with a smile.

"So you're back together then?" Claire asks, not doing a very good job of hiding exactly how she feels about that.

"No, we're not," Andy replies. "But we're figuring it out," Andy adds.

"What does that mean?" Claire wonders.

"Uh… I guess it means that he wants us to be together and I'm just trying to get to a place where I feel confident in that again," Andy explains.

She immediately sees Claire's expression change and against her better judgment, she doesn't change the subject.

"What?" She asks her mother.

Claire lets out a sigh and already Andy is regretting her decision. "Andy, I just don't want you to get hurt again. Are you sure you should give him another chance after everything he did?" She asks.

Andy just sits there stunned for a second. And while she instantly feels the need to defend Sam, the more she thinks about her mother's words, the more pissed off she gets. "Yes, Sam hurt me. He broke my heart. But he had _just_ watched his best friend die in his arms. He was grieving and not thinking clearly and he made a mistake. And once he realized that, he admitted that he messed up and he apologized. He told me he loved me and he begged me for another chance. He said he'd spend however long it takes trying to make it up to me and earn back my trust and he _has_. He's been there for me throughout all of this… just like he always was before… even when I gave him no reason to be. So yes, I _should_ give him another chance. And you thinking I shouldn't is just hilarious to me. He left for a few weeks after going through something unbelievably tragic and he's done everything possible to make it up to me. But _you_ left your own daughter for fifteen years for a _man_. And despite all of that, I'm giving _you_ another chance. So if you don't think Sam deserves one than you sure as hell don't!" She shouts.

Claire is sitting across the table completely dumbfounded, unable to say anything as Andy gets up and stomps out of her house without another word.

She spends the next ten minutes speed walking away from her mother's townhouse. She's so angry, she can't even think straight.

She just can't believe her mother would be so hypocritical.

How could she expect her to give up on Sam? She loves him. He's the father of her child. And he's the most amazing man she's ever met. He's been beyond wonderful throughout her entire pregnancy and he's been so patient with her and he's more than proven himself.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't still afraid of getting hurt, but she wants to be with him. And she's tired of waiting.

And that's when she finds herself standing outside his front door.

"Hey, I thought I was picking you up," he says with a confused look on his face when he finds her on his front steps. "Did you walk here?" He asks as he lets her inside.

"Um… yeah," she admits.

"Why didn't you call me? I would've driven you," he tells her.

"I know I just… I had a fight with Claire and I had to get out of there. I was just so angry and before I knew it, I was standing outside your front door," she tells him.

"Andy, you shouldn't be walking around alone at night," he says.

"I know, but Sam… can we just… talk?" She asks.

"Uh yeah. Everything okay?" He questions.

"Yeah… yeah… I just," she begins as she starts to shuffle her feet. He puts his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezes them, trying to calm her down a little. She closes her eyes for a moment and lets out a breath before opening them and meeting his gaze. "I don't want to wait anymore," she tells him.

"You don't want to wait anymore," he repeats a little more slowly as if he's testing the words out and trying to decipher their meaning.

"I want to give this another shot. You and me. A real shot," she explains.

"Yeah?" He asks as a smile overtakes his face.

"Yeah," she says with a nod as she mirrors his expression. "I'm done being afraid. I want us to be together," she adds.

He steps a bit closer to her and pushes some hair behind her ear as he studies her eyes, apparently trying to read her thoughts. "Is this… is this about whatever happened with Claire?" He asks. While part of him doesn't want to know, another part needs to. He can't risk her changing her mind tomorrow after whatever happened blows over. This is probably their last chance at being together and he can't let anything screw it up.

"No," she says shaking her head. "Well, a little bit," she admits a moment later. "She just… she said she didn't think I should give us another chance," Andy begins.

"Oh," Sam says as his expression immediately changes.

"And I got really angry and I was yelling at her and I was defending you and everything I was saying to her… it just… it made me realize that I have no reason to keep waiting. I've been making all of these excuses in my head because I'm just… I'm so scared and honestly, I'm still scared, but I can't keep letting that get in the way of being happy," she tells him as she wraps her arms around his neck.

He smiles and lets his thumb graze her cheek. "Andy, I promise you, I won't ever leave you again. I'm _in_ this," he assures her.

"Me too," she says, before she stands on her toes to kiss him. He wraps his hand around the back of her head and pulls her closer. "I love you," she tells him, when they pull away. And he gets this big grin on his face when she says it and it only makes her smile widen.

"I love you, too," he replies, before kissing her again. "So much," he mumbles against her lips.

They continue kissing like that for another few minutes before Andy pulls away. "Bedroom?" She suggests.

He smiles at her, gives her another quick kiss and then picks her up bridal style and carries her upstairs as she places a few sporadic kisses on his neck.

Eventually, they are in his bedroom and he is putting her down beside his bed. Her hands instinctively land on his sides while he cups her face and pulls her in for a kiss. It doesn't take long before his tongue is stroking hers and her fingers are skimming his bare skin as she pushes his shirt up his chest. He helps her out and pulls it the rest of the way over his head before his lips return to hers. That's when she starts unbuckling his belt and pushing his jeans down his legs until he can kick them off. At the same time, he grabs the fabric of her dress and starts to pull it over her head. Since she hasn't purchased any maternity clothes yet, she's been stuck wearing a lot of dresses as they are basically the only thing that'll fit her.

When they are both down to their underwear, he just stands there staring at her for a minute and it's making her a bit self-conscious. She obviously looks a lot different than the last time he saw her naked and with the way he's staring, she's starting to wonder if he isn't finding her as attractive.

When she subconsciously crosses her arms over the top of her stomach, he reaches out and uncrosses her arms for her. "You're beautiful," he tells her softly as his hands start to roam her soft skin.

She exhales and gives him a small smile before leaning in for a kiss. He spends the next minute or two kissing her and familiarizing himself with her new curves before he picks her up and gently places her down on the bed. Then, he hovers over her, making sure he's not putting any weight on her stomach, while he places kisses up and down her neck. He wraps his arms around her and quickly unhooks her bra before pushing the straps down her shoulders and tossing it on the ground. And then he takes a moment to appreciate what he's just uncovered. They're definitely bigger now and while he absolutely loved her breasts before, he's pretty fond of these, too.

He starts placing kisses along her collarbone and then down her chest to the tops of her breasts before taking the tips in his mouth and gently sucking on them. She lets out a quiet gasp as her fingers run through his hair and he switches from one breast to the other.

Then he slowly makes his way lower as he places about ten kisses all over her baby bump. And it's so sweet that she really has to concentrate on keeping the tears at bay. She's practically melting inside at the gesture.

Finally, he places a few warm kisses along the top of her underwear before he slides them down her legs and tosses them aside. And then he quickly removes his boxers before crawling back on top of her again.

She pulls him in for a kiss and wraps her hand around him while swallowing the groan that escapes his lips. She starts to guide him towards her when he pulls away from her.

"This isn't going to hurt the baby, is it?" He asks.

She smiles at him and lets out a laugh. "It won't hurt the baby," she promises.

"You sure?" He probes.

"I'm sure… read about it in one of my pregnancy books," she explains. "She's safe," she assures him as she runs a hand in circles on her stomach.

"Okay," he says with a nod as he leans in to kiss her and starts to slowly push his way inside.

==========Expecting==========

She's never had sex like that before. He was just so… gentle and loving and affectionate. The way he was placing kisses all over her body and paying extra attention to her baby bump. The way he was whispering in her ear- telling her how much he loves her, how beautiful she is, how happy she makes him, how all he wants to do is make her happy, too.

She has never felt more loved and just… completely adored in her entire life.

And if she ever had any doubts about his feelings for her, there's no way she could anymore.

It's about half an hour later that they are quietly lying in bed together, each a little lost in their own thoughts. She's lying on her back while he lies on his side, running his hand all over her baby bump.

"I love that you're really starting to show," he coos.

She turns her face to look at him and gives him a smile. "Yeah… I just woke up the other day and looked in the mirror and suddenly I was huge," she tells him.

"You're not huge," he assures her with a laugh. "You're beautiful," he says as he cups her cheek. She smiles and gives him a kiss before pulling away.

"I can't even zip up my uniform anymore," she whines. "Or fit into my jeans… that's why I've been wearing so many dresses… it's the only thing that'll fit besides sweatpants," she tells him.

"I love how you look like this," he tells her, still letting his fingers skim her stomach.

"Yeah?" She asks with a smile.

"Yeah," he says with a nod and another kiss.

When he pulls away, she studies his face, trying to decide if she should believe him or if he's just placating her. But one look in his eyes and she knows.

"I love you," she declares as she puts her hand on top of his.

He looks up at her with a smile. "I love you, too."

==========Expecting==========

The next morning she wakes up with his arms wrapped around her and his face buried in her hair. His hand is resting on her stomach and their legs are tangled together.

And God, she's really missed him.

She's guessing that he's been awake for a bit because as soon as she starts to stir, he's placing a few kisses on her shoulder.

"Morning," he whispers.

She turns to look at him and the expression on his face tells her everything. He's searching her eyes, trying to figure out if she has any regrets. She smiles at him and runs her hand down his cheek as their eyes lock.

"Morning," she replies. And she can feel his whole body relax when he realizes that she hasn't changed her mind.

"How'd you sleep?" He asks as he runs his fingers through her hair.

"Best night's sleep I've had in a while," she tells him.

He smiles. "Me too," he agrees. "I really missed you," he admits a beat later.

"I missed you, too… Really, _really_ missed you," she assures him.

He leans in for a quick kiss and when he pulls away, he is pretty much beaming at her. "I love you," he tells her.

She gives him a big grin. The way he's throwing those words around so easily now, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't seriously enjoying it. "Love you, too," she tells him.

"And I meant what I said last night. I'm in this. _This_ is what I want," he says, gesturing between the two of them.

"Me too," she agrees.

"And I promise you that I _will_ fight for us this time. I won't walk away. I'll be here… always, okay? I just… I know what it's like not being with you and it… it _really_ sucks. And I never want to experience it again," he tells her.

"Me either."

"I know you're the person I'm supposed to be with," he admits. And the words catch her a bit off guard, but a smile slowly escapes her lips before she leans in for another kiss.

"Me too," she tells him. And it's true. He _is_ the person she's supposed to be with. She's never been more sure.

===========Expecting============

Well, hope everyone enjoyed this!

Please let me know!

And I know I said this story wouldn't be very long, but it turns out I lied. I ended up writing much more than I originally planned, so it'll have at least five more chapters, but I still haven't reached the end, so who knows.


	9. Introductions

===========Expecting============

It's been two weeks since they've been back together and he's so deliriously happy it's a bit ridiculous. He's smiling so much he doesn't even recognize himself sometimes. He's just sohappy that they are finally _here_.

He's woken up with her in his arms every morning and it's exactly how he wants to start each day for the rest of his life. He's finally able to touch her and kiss her whenever he wants and it's the absolute best feeling in the world. Even when he's had a rough day at work, just knowing that he gets to go home with her after shift, makes it all better.

He's so unbelievably in love with her that he's not sure he could ever find the right words to describe exactly how she makes him feel. He knows with absolute certainty that he has never been anywhere close to this happy before. He knows without a shadow of a doubt that she is the only person he's supposed to be with.

And that's why what he's about to do absolutely terrifies him. He's beyond scared that this will ruin everything, but he knows he has to do it. He knows that she needs this… and he probably does, too.

"Sam," she says, reaching over, putting her hand on his knee and gently squeezing. She can see that he's freaking out. He's being so crazy quiet and he's gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles are white.

He looks over at her and sees the look of concern on her face. He grabs her hand and kisses it before resting it on the center console.

"It's going to be okay," she assures him as she strokes the back of his hand with her thumb.

"I know," he replies, but she's definitely not convinced.

" _Do_ you?" She asks, causing him to look over. "I don't think I've ever seen you like this…. so…. nervous," she explains. "Whatever happens, it's not going to change things between us," she promises him.

He gives her a small smile and squeezes her hand before bringing it to his lips once more.

The truck is silent for a few more minutes until he speaks up again. "You know…" he begins. "Before… it was never that I didn't want _them_ to meet _you_ ," he tells her. "I just… I didn't really want _you_ to meet _them_ ," he explains. Before she has a chance to interject, he continues. "I know that probably doesn't make sense and I can only imagine all of the reasons you thought up for why I didn't want to introduce you to my family, but I just want you to know that it was never because you weren't important to me or because I wasn't serious about us… I guess I was afraid that it would change the way you saw me… that you would realize just how fucked up I really was," he clarifies. "My family… it's so… complicated," he tells her.

"I know, Sam. I get it, but I'm not afraid to meet them… whatever happens, I'll still love you and I'll still want to be with you," she assures him. "But if you're not ready, we can just turn around… do it another time," she offers.

"No, no… I want to… I want them to meet you," he tells her.

"Okay," she says with a smile. "But if you feel like you need to get out of there or something, just give me the signal and I can pretend to be nauseous or something," she says with a chuckle.

"I love you," he tells her as he squeezes her hand again and glances over at her with a smile.

"Love you, too."

==========Expecting==========

It starts out fine. They seem friendly enough. They even ask her questions about the job, the pregnancy, the baby, how she met Sam, etc. Sam's mom even gives her a few tricks for preventing stretch marks, which is… nice.

But then about halfway through dinner it all goes to hell.

And she can tell right before it's about to happen. Sam squeezes her hand- like a reflex or something- and she just knows.

"I saw your father yesterday," his mother announces to Sam.

"That's nice," Sam replies. And she can see him getting a little bit tense, so she squeezes his knee under the table. He glances over at her and gives her a little smile as he interlocks their fingers and rests their hands on his thigh.

"He's very happy for you," his mother tells him in between bites.

And that's when he squeezes her hand. And she can tell things are about to get complicated, but she just squeezes it back and strokes the back of his palm with her thumb, trying to soothe him a little.

"You… you _told_ him?" Sam asks, trying his best to stay calm. The last thing he wants is to fight with his family in front of Andy.

"Of course I did… Sammy, he deserved to know… He's going to be a grandfather," she replies, seemingly oblivious to Sam's changing mood.

"No… no he isn't," Sam says with a shake of his head as he uses his other hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I don't want him anywhere near our daughter," he tells them.

And for a moment, Andy forgets about the situation and her heart swells a little at his words. She's just never heard him say that before. _Our daughter._ And it's… nice.

But she's quickly taken back to reality when Sarah starts to chime in.

"Sammy, you're being ridiculous. He's our _father_ ," she reminds him.

"You don't have any idea what a father actually _is_ ," he accuses. "A father doesn't tear you down every chance he gets. A father doesn't steal from his kids. A father doesn't try to make them feel like shit for his own amusement. A father doesn't bring drug dealers and bank robbers around his family. He doesn't gamble away the rent money three months in a row. He doesn't lock his son in the closet for five hours because he split something on the rug," Sam rambles on. And he's started to get heated, so she squeezes his hand again, and that's when he takes a deep breath and squeezes it back. "Look, if you want him in your lives than that's your decision, but I've made mine and I'm just asking that you respect it… I don't want him anywhere near my family," he says.

And once again, she lets a smile slip out. _My family._

"Sammy, c'mon… you can't hold onto all of this resentment. We've all made mistakes… and people can change," his mother tells him.

Sam exhales again.

"Yeah, you're right. People _can_ change, but only if they actually _want_ to," he tells her. "And I don't think he does," Sam adds.

"You've always been too stubborn for your own good," his mother says with a shake of her head.

Sam lets out a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose again. "Look, I'm sorry, I know you want us all to get along, but he's just not a part of my life anymore, okay? Now, can we _please_ talk about something else?" He pleads.

Sam's mother eyes him for a second but she eventually lets out a sigh and asks him to pass the mashed potatoes.

==========Expecting==========

After they say their goodbyes and the front door closes behind them, Andy grabs Sam's hand and squeezes it to reassure him. She's not sure what she expected, but it was definitely… interesting. Dinner was… tense, to say the least.

But even though it wasn't the most enjoyable night of her life, she's still really glad that she went. She feels much closer to him now and she understands him a bit better.

It's obvious that Sam's mother and sister have difficulty expressing their emotions… or at least the positive ones. They don't seem to have any issues expressing their anger or frustration, but love? No, she's guessing that Sam didn't hear those words anywhere near enough from his family and the thought just makes her feel so sad for him.

As messed up as her home life could be, she always knew her father loved her, but she wonders if Sam had doubts about his family's love. And it's obviously why he was unable to say it to her for so long.

When he opens the passenger door for her, she doesn't get in. Instead, she just turns to him, wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a kiss. He tugs her close and gets lost in it for a minute, before they eventually pull away.

"I love you," she tells him, as confident as ever. "Thank you for doing this," she says. "I know it wasn't easy, but I really appreciate you letting me in," she adds before giving him another quick kiss.

"I love you so much," he tells her as he brushes his nose against hers and runs his fingers through her hair. "Seriously, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me," he continues.

"Sam, I feel the same way about you," she assures him with a smile before she pulls him in for another kiss. "C'mon, let's go home," she says when they pull away.

==========Expecting==========

"Do you think I'm being stubborn?" He asks her randomly as they lie in bed that night. He's lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, as she's resting her head on his chest and he's playing with her hair.

The question surprises her and it takes her a minute to actually comprehend what he's asking, but when she does, she props herself up on an elbow and looks up at him. She's about to open her mouth and answer him, when he decides to continue.

"I just don't get how they can be so forgiving… we all lived under the same roof… experienced the same things… and yet, they still want him in their lives? Do you… do you think it's me?" He wonders as he meets her eyes.

"Sam…" she begins as she runs her thumb down his jaw. "We get to choose the people we let into our lives and nobody should make you feel guilty about that," she tells him.

"You let Claire back into your life," he points out.

"Yeah, I did," she agrees. Things between her and her mother have been strained ever since their fight about Sam, but she's been trying to move past it. Claire _did_ apologize and she even invited her and Sam over for dinner next week, although Andy isn't sure if she actually wants to go.

"I guess I've just never had the forgiveness gene," he says. "When somebody screws me over again and again for fifteen years… I guess I just have trouble forgetting stuff like that," he tells her.

"Sam, it's okay if you don't want him in your life. I'll support you no matter what," she promises.

And that's when he just stares at her for a minute- like he's taking her all in.

"You're amazing," he tells her in this way that just makes her feel like he's in awe of her or something.

She grins at him and kisses him until she's having trouble breathing. "You're also amazing, you know," she tells him.

"Oh I know," he teases, seemingly in a better mood already.

"And so very modest," she quips.

"Oh yeah, that too," he agrees.

==========Expecting==========

As always, please review and I'll try to update as soon as possible!


	10. Perfection

==========Expecting==========

There's a very real possibility that she's being a little ridiculous right now, but she can't tell for sure.

He's just seriously driving her crazy and she's not sure how much longer she can take it.

It's just that ever since they got back together, it's like he's trying to be perfect. Actually, he was doing it way before then, but she just thought it would stop once they decided to be together, but it hasn't. Sometimes she thinks that maybe it's gotten worse.

He always watches whatever she wants on television. He always lets her pick what they're having for dinner. He won't stop rubbing her feet whenever they're sitting on the couch, even when she insists that they aren't sore.

And if he wakes up before her in the morning, he makes her breakfast. Like a real bacon, eggs and toast breakfast.

And even more suspiciously, he lets her drive the truck _whenever_ she asks.

Oh and every baby name she suggests, he claims to love. She even tried throwing in a few outrageous names just to test him. And yeah, he said they were great.

And he doesn't let her clean or do laundry or make the bed. The other day she was about to go get the mail when he insisted that he'd do it. Literally, if she wants to clean something, she has to wait until he's not around so she can do it without him giving her a hard time.

She knows that he has good intentions and that he's actually being really sweet, but she just can't deal with all of this perfection much longer.

It's actually got her a bit worried. She just can't help but wonder when he's finally going to crack. When is the pressure of being perfect going to be too much for him? I mean, it must be exhausting.

And she's kind of afraid that he'll start to resent her or maybe he'll just explode one day and then who knows what'll happen.

So yeah, she needs to put an end to it. Now.

She just doesn't know how to really go about it.

But they did promise to always communicate and be honest with each other, so she figures that's the only way to go.

"Hey, can we talk?" She asks him after dinner one night. Once again, he won't let her help him with the dishes and honestly, she kind of wants to smack him a little.

"Yeah, everything okay?" He asks as a flash of worry crosses his face.

"Yeah, come sit with me," she instructs as she pats the couch cushion beside her.

He walks over and sits down right next to her. "What's up?" He asks as he gets his hand on her thigh and squeezes it.

She takes a deep breath and looks up at the man she loves. He's staring at her and he looks concerned and a bit confused and he's definitely trying to read her eyes.

She desperately wants to reassure him, so she maneuvers herself up on his lap, so she's straddling him. Then, she throws him a little smile as she slips her arms around his neck and plays with the hair on the back of his head for a moment.

"You know I love you, right?" She asks.

"Yeah…" he replies, suspiciously.

"And you know why I love you?" She questions.

Now he's giving her a weird look- all furrowed brows and wrinkled forehead. So, she takes that as her cue to just keep going.

"So many reasons, actually," she begins. "Sam, you just… you really are the best man I know… You are sweet and generous and loyal and you would literally do anything for the people you love. You have always made me feel safe and like I could talk to you about anything and you would never judge me. I've never felt like I have to hide myself from you and you've always accepted me for me… And you've always been there for me, whether I needed someone to fix a woman's plumbing or I needed a shoulder to cry on or somebody to punch or just someone to talk to. And you're smart and you're silly and you always know how to cheer me up. And even when I'm feeling completely gross, the way you look at me makes me feel beautiful. And I could keep going, but I think you get the picture, right?" She asks.

"Yeah…" he says, still rather suspicious about the conversation. He's just waiting for the 'but' to come out of her mouth.

"I just… I really do love you for you, okay?" She says.

"Okay," he nods, still completely unsure where this is going.

"Sam, I uh… well… you know that I don't expect you to be perfect, right? Just like I know you don't expect me to be perfect," she continues.

"I know."

"I just… I feel like maybe you _are_ trying to be perfect… like maybe you don't fully trust that I truly want us to be together and you're trying not to give me a reason to change my mind or something," she explains.

He lets out a breath and runs his hands up and down her sides. "Maybe I have been doing that," he acknowledges.

She nods her head and nibbles on her lip for a second. "I get it… I think I've been doing it a little bit, too," she confesses.

"Really?"

"Definitely not as much as you, but I think a part of me has really been trying to control the crazy in here more than I would have before," she tells him as she points to her head. "I guess there's still a small part of me that worries that all of the reasons you had for not wanting to be with me before will suddenly make sense again," she admits.

"Andy, that's not going to happen," he guarantees.

She nods and gives him a quick kiss. "And I'm not going to change my mind either, you know," she assures him. "I love you and I want to be with you no matter what. I don't need you to be perfect, okay? I don't need you to always agree with me or only ever do what I want to do. I want you to tell me when you disagree or if there is something that you need or want and you're not getting… And most of all, I want you to feel confident and secure in us," she explains.

He lets out a breath. "I guess there's a lot of things that we should've talked about before, but we never did," he tells her.

"What do you mean?" She asks with a slight tilt of her head.

"I guess… I guess it's just always been in the back of my mind that you'll wake up someday and feel differently about us," he clarifies.

"Why?"

"Because you have before," he reminds her. "You've changed your mind on me before and I… I guess part of me is still holding my breath, waiting for it to happen again… I know it's probably not fair, but I think it's maybe part of the reason I didn't fight for us before and why I couldn't let you in. I just… I couldn't let myself be fully invested when I was always waiting for you to change your mind, you know? After the blackout and when we were suspended… what happened… I guess maybe it stayed with me," he admits.

"Sam…"

"Look, I'm not bringing this up now to make you feel bad or anything, I just feel like… because I never told you and we never talked it out, it was always in the back of my head and it festered and it negatively affected our relationship and I don't want that to happen again," he explains.

"Me either," she responds.

He nods and pulls her a bit closer.

"Sam, I _am_ sorry for hurting you back then… I made a lot of mistakes that I wish I could take back but just so you know… ever since we've been together… this time and last time… I never once had second thoughts about being with you… I know when I left for Tegamami, you probably thought I was running away from us, but all I wanted the entire time I was gone was to be with you… I just… I didn't want either of us to lose our jobs, you know? And I know you felt like I was choosing the job over you, but I… I honestly didn't think it had to be an either or… And maybe it wasn't the right decision, and I hate that I hurt you and that I made you doubt my commitment to us… I do wish you would've talked to me about how you were feeling… and maybe I should've seen it, maybe I should've forced you to talk about it… I just… I want you to know that I _am_ committed to us… I _am_ sure. This is what I want. _You_ are what I want. I'm not going to change my mind," she guarantees.

"Okay," he says with a nod before he leans in and gives her a passionate kiss.

When they pull away, she shoots him a playful smirk as she runs her fingers through his hair. "So… once in a while you're allowed to fight me for the remote or go get drunk at the Penny or be grouchy in the morning, okay? And you're allowed to get annoyed and angry at me and you're allowed to _tell_ me when you are. And you don't have to rub my feet every night or love every name I suggest for the baby. And you don't have to do the laundry and the dishes and make the bed… I just… I don't need you to be doing everything right all of the time. I want you to be real. I want you to be _you_ ," she tells him.

"I can do that," he promises before pulling her in for a kiss.

"Okay, good," she says with a grin. "Because you know… The Sam Swarek I fell in love with was the one who barely ever let me drive the truck and who hated doing the dishes and who would rather swallow a fork than watch a romantic comedy," she says with that teasing tone of hers.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, because that's also the Sam Swarek who always made me feel loved and heard and special and beautiful and who is the most amazing person I've ever known," she tells him as she runs her thumb along his jaw.

"I love you," he beams.

"I love you, too," she tells him with a smile. "For you, okay?" She adds.

"Okay," he nods.

==========Expecting==========

Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	11. Practice

==========Expecting==========

"Okay, I've put it off long enough," she declares a few nights later, when they're in bed together.

"Put what off?" He asks.

"I have to start looking for a new condo," she clarifies. "Mine only has one bedroom," she reminds him as she draws lazy patterns on his chest.

He nods and runs his fingers through her hair as he seems to consider something for a moment. "What if we got a place together?" He suggests.

She looks up at him with more than a little surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean… I do have an extra bedroom for the baby, so you could move in here, but I think it'd be nice to get a place that's completely ours," he explains.

"Yeah, that _would_ be nice," she agrees with a smile.

"So… you want to do it? Live together?" He questions.

She seems to mull it over for a moment, but eventually, she opens her mouth to respond. "Are you sure?" She wonders. "I mean, we've only been back together a month… You aren't worried that it's too soon?" She continues.

"No. I mean, yeah, we've only been back together for a month, but it's not like we don't _know_ each other," he reminds her. "And if you want to wait, we can, but _I'm_ sure. I'm in this for good, okay? I just… I want the three of us to be a family and be under the same roof," he says with a hand on her growing stomach. "So yeah, I'm sure," he adds.

"Okay," she nods with a grin.

"Okay?" He asks with a bit of surprise. "I don't want to pressure you into this or anything. I won't be upset if you want to wait… I'd understand," he assures her.

"No, I want to," she tells him. "I want all of us to be under one roof, too," she adds. "And we _have_ spent every night together anyway and it would make things a lot easier when the baby comes and I mean… we're committed to each other, right?"

"Right," he says with a nod and a smile.

"Okay, so yeah, let's do it."

==========Expecting==========

They actually find the house must faster than Sam thought they would. He figured Andy would spend three weeks making pro/con lists and researching every house in a twenty mile radius before finally making a decision, but it actually happened very easily.

It was the fourth house they went to. They just walked through the place, looked at each other and knew.

It was perfect. Lots of open space and natural light. A large deck overlooking their backyard. Three bedrooms and a small garage. And it was in a nice neighbor that was only a fifteen minute drive from the station.

Yeah, it was perfect. So, they ended up buying it and luring all of the coppers of 15 to help them move with promises of pizza and beer. And since Sam implemented a strict 'don't let Andy move anything or else' policy, she got to direct traffic and boss everybody around, which she enjoyed immensely.

And about a week later, they were completely unpacked in their new home.

And that's kind of when it really started to hit him- how much his life has changed in the past year. He's still having a hard time believing that this is all actually happening. That he's going to be a Dad. That he and Andy are going to have a family. It still feels completely surreal.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks as they lie in bed… _their_ bed. He's been a bit lost in his thoughts for a while now and she's just… curious.

"I just... I still can't believe this is my life sometimes," he admits.

"What do you mean?" She asks as she furrows her brows a little while she turns to face him.

"I just never thought I'd be the guy going to Lamaze class and putting cribs together and researching which car seat is the safest. I never really _wanted_ to be that guy… Before I met you, I never wanted commitment or a family or any of that… Or maybe I just never let myself want it because I never thought I could have it… But now I _am_ that guy and I just… I really _like_ being that guy," he explains.

She beams at him for a second before giving him a big kiss. "Well, that guy looks good on you," she tells him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah… _really_ good," she says, seductively, as her hand travels down his chest.

==========Expecting==========

"So, I was thinking…" she tells Sam as they lie in bed a few nights later.

"Should I be worried?" he teases as he turns to face her.

"Probably," she quips with a big grin.

"Yeah, I thought so," he retorts.

"Ha ha," she says with a roll of her eyes. " _Anyway_ ," she says, dramatically. "I was thinking about talking to Noelle and offering to babysit Olivia sometime," she tells him. "I mean… we could probably use the practice," she adds as she gestures towards her belly.

"I'm sure Frank and Noelle will appreciate their daughter being our guinea pig," he jokes.

"I really think we should do this," she declares, ignoring his last remark. "I mean, neither one of us has much experience with babies and we're kind of gonna have one soon," she reminds him with a nervous laugh. "So are you in?" She asks.

"Well, it depends," he muses.

"On what?" She wonders.

"Do I get to make out with the babysitter after the kid goes to sleep?" He teases.

She rolls her eyes at him again, but the big smile on her face is giving her away. "If you're lucky," she replies.

"Well, then I'm definitely in."

==========Expecting==========

It's a week later that they are at Frank and Noelle's house babysitting Olivia so the two of them can go out to dinner together. And Olivia hasn't stopped crying since they left.

Andy is standing in the middle of the room, gently bouncing Olivia while she rubs her back, desperately trying to soothe her. "I don't get it. We've tried everything. Why won't she stop crying?" Andy asks Sam, completely in a panic. "God, I haven't even given birth yet and I already suck at this," Andy declares as she starts to pace around the room.

"Andy, babies cry. You can't take it personally," he assures her as he runs his hand up and down her back.

"But I should be able to calm her down… that's what mothers do!" Andy argues.

"Okay, hold on. I have an idea," Sam says before he disappears down the hallway, leaving Andy standing there with the baby in her arms.

He returns several moments later holding a tube of hand cream. "Here, let me take her for a second," he says, holding his arms out to take the baby from Andy. Once he's got Olivia resting on his hip, he passes the hand cream to Andy. "Whenever I used to ride with Noelle, the squad car always reeked of this stuff… she wears it _all_ the time," he explains. "Put some of it on," he instructs.

"What? Why?" Andy asks. Still, she doesn't wait for his response as she unscrews the cap, squeezes a dollop on her hands and rubs the lotion into her skin.

"Because then you'll smell like her," he clarifies. "She probably just misses her mom," Sam explains as he gestures towards Olivia.

"Okay," Andy nods as she places the hand cream on the coffee table and takes Olivia from Sam. Andy continues to gently bounce her up and down and it's only thirty seconds later that she starts to calm down. Andy shoots a look at Sam as her jaw drops. "Oh my God. _Sam_. She stopped crying," Andy announces as tears start to well in her eyes.

"I know," Sam says with a smile as he runs his hand down Olivia's back.

"How did you know to do that?" Andy asks.

"Read it in one of those baby books," he replies with a shrug.

"I didn't know you were reading baby books," she says, just completely in awe of him.

"Well, I read it months ago… Oliver gave it to me. It's a book specifically for Dad's," he explains. "It said that when you're alone with the baby and you can't calm her down, sometimes it's just because she misses her mom. It actually said to just drape one of her shirts on you or wrap the baby in it, but I didn't really want to go through Noelle's drawers and I saw the lotion in the bathroom earlier, so I figured that would probably work just as well," he says with a shrug.

"Wow… Sam, I… I mean, I already knew this, but… you're just… you're going to be a really great Dad," she tells him.

He gets a big smile on his face before he leans in to kiss her. "And I already know you're going to be a really great mom," he assures her.

"I'm really going to try to be," she promises. "But I just feel like there's so much more I need to learn," she admits.

"Well, we still have some time," he reminds her as he pushes some hair out of her face. "And whatever we don't know, we'll figure out together," he adds.

==========Expecting==========

Sorry about the long wait for this one! I'll try to be faster, but I'm finally coming down to the chapters that aren't fully written, so we'll see.

Reviews always serve as great motivation, though!


	12. Insecurity

==========Expecting==========

"God could you stop being so sexy?" She growls as she walks into their bedroom just as he's taking off his shirt.

"Um…" He says, glancing up at her and looking as if he's a deer caught in headlights.

"You know... if you loved me you'd gain some sympathy weight to make me feel better," she tells him with mock sincerity.

"Uhh…" He murmurs, unsure what he's supposed to say to that.

"I'm huge," she reminds him as she gestures towards her growing belly.

"You're beautiful," he replies, as he steps closer to her and runs his hands down her sides.

"You _have_ to say that," she sighs with a roll of her eyes.

"Maybe," he shrugs with a teasing grin. "But I still think it's true," he assures her.

She smiles and gives him a quick kiss. "Well, I love you for lying to me," she tells him before she starts to walk away.

He knows she's feeling all kinds of uncomfortable and a bit insecure nowadays, so he's been making a conscious effort to frequently give her compliments and tell her how great she looks. And every time the words come out of his mouth, she scoffs as if she doesn't believe him. He's pretty sure she thinks he's full of shit. The thing is though, he really isn't. Not even a little. He honestly thinks she is absolutely gorgeous. She has and always will be the most beautiful thing in his world. And he just desperately wishes she'd believe him when he tells her that.

"Hey," he says, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back towards him. "I'm _not_ lying. You _are_ beautiful," he says.

She rolls her eyes, obviously not believing him.

"I love you pregnant," he tells her as his fingers roam her belly.

"You just like that my boobs are bigger," she replies with a laugh.

"Well, that definitely doesn't suck," he agrees with a grin, causing her to playfully roll her eyes, once again.

"You know how everyone always says that women glow when they're pregnant?" He asks.

"Yeah," she shrugs.

"I never really got that… I never saw it before… But I don't know, I see it now. You really _are_ glowing," he tells her, eliciting a smile from her lips. "And you _are_ gorgeous. And I love that you're carrying our daughter in there," he says, as he lovingly runs his hands over her belly.

"I love you," she tells him, swooning a little bit at his words. It honestly still gets her when he says stuff like this. And it's moments like these that she's reminded just how lucky she is to have him in her life. Not that she ever actually forgets, but still.

"Love you, too."

==========Expecting==========

She knows it's crazy, but lately, she's been hyper aware of every woman that comes anywhere near him.

The new crime scene tech who, for _some_ reason, always delivers Sam's test results in person. The waitress at the Penny who never makes him wait for his drinks. Their next door neighbor's live-in nanny who always does yoga in the front yard at the same time they leave for work- and of course, she's always half naked. The barista at their favorite coffee shop who has his coffee order memorized. And honestly, the list goes on and on.

And she's been having these really awful dreams lately. Like _really_ awful. And not the normal kind of awful dreams she typically has- the kind where she's stuck in a storage locker or Sam is being tortured or they're both in a room with a grenade. No, these are different.

And honestly, right now, she'd rather be dreaming about the storage locker.

It's never the same dream, either. Sometimes she unlocks the front door and there he is, screwing some bimbo on their couch. Or sometimes she makes it all the way to the bedroom and finds some naked woman bouncing on top of him. Once, she even walked into the men's locker room and found him having sex with Jo in the shower. Yeah, and then sometimes she just comes home and he wants to talk- and then he confesses that he met someone else and he's leaving her and oh yeah, he's sorry.

And they're always blonde. Always.

And they're beautiful and skinny and they can actually see their feet.

She knows it's crazy. She _knows_. She really does.

She knows Sam loves her. Adores her, even. He's constantly showing her just how much.

But she just can't help it sometimes. Her mind is playing some serious tricks on her and she's having trouble keeping her hormones under control. And the scenes from her nightmares have been running on repeat in her mind for weeks.

==========Expecting==========

He knows something is up with her. She's been way more than just a little weird lately. Kind of quiet, lost in thought, not sleeping… He also feels her watching him sometimes.

The mornings are usually the weirdest part of the day. Sometimes he wakes up feeling like he's pissed her off somehow. She'll barely say two words to him, won't look him in the eye and if he even _tries_ to touch her, she won't have it. Then there are other mornings where she just clings to him as if he's about to go off to war. She wraps her arms around him so tight and buries her face in his chest. A few times, when he told her they needed to get up for work, she's started to cry. And every time he's tried to ask her what's wrong, she'd just blame it on the pregnancy hormones and say she was fine.

But he knew she wasn't. She isn't.

And he just doesn't know what's wrong or how to fix it. And for some reason, she just isn't telling him.

So, this morning when she wakes up and is holding him so tight he's almost having trouble breathing, he decides that enough is enough. They can't keep going on like this. He's determined to figure out what's going on with her.

"Andy," he says, softly as he tries to pry her off of him enough so he can turn to face her. She very reluctantly loosens her grip, but just barely.

"Hm?" She asks, opening her eyes to face him and moving her head back enough so she can see him clearly

"Seriously. What is going on with you?" He asks. "Just… talk to me," he pleads.

"Sam, I'm fine," she lies. Badly. God, she knows that he's a cop, right?

"Andy, you are _not_ fine. There is obviously something going on with you," he replies.

"It's just hormones. Don't worry," she dismisses.

"Andy, c'mon. You've been acting weird for over a week. I'm not an idiot. There's something else going on," he tells her.

"It's nothing," she assures him as she tries to roll over and get out of bed. But no, he's not accepting these bullshit answers anymore. He's got his arms wrapped around her and he refuses to let her get away.

"It's not nothing," he argues. "Why won't you talk to me?" He asks.

She lets out a rather large sigh and then stares at him for what seems like an eternity, before she finally speaks up. "It's just… it's stupid, okay? It's nothing," she repeats.

"Andy, something is obviously bothering you. I'm sure it's not stupid… and even if it is, I still want to know… Just tell me. Please," he implores.

"I've… I've just been having these dreams… Nightmares, actually," she begins, nervously nibbling on her bottom lip. She couldn't even tell you why she's nervous, but she just really doesn't want to have this conversation.

"Okay…" he says, encouraging her to continue.

"About you," she tells him, briefly meeting his eyes.

"What about me?" He asks. Initially, he just assumes that she's dreaming about something bad happening to him. With their jobs, it's not an unusual thing to worry about and she's had dreams like that before. But then, when he starts to think about it, he realizes that it has to be something more than that because those kind of dreams don't explain her recent behavior.

"You… being with other women," she says, reluctantly, as she starts to focus on picking at her fingernails.

He's stunned for a second, but then he quickly gets it together. "Andy…" he begins, using his finger to tip her chin up so she'll look at him.

"I know it's stupid," she tells him before he has a chance to say anything. "It's just… hormones, you know? My mind is playing tricks on me and I can't help it and… they just won't stop… every single night it's a different dream… some other scenario where I find out your cheating on me with some gorgeous woman."

He cups her face with both hands now, trying to get her to look at him, but her eyes are still looking away. "Hey," he says, attempting to get her attention. She finally meets his eyes and lets out a big sigh. "I love you, okay?" he begins. "God, Andy, I am so in love with you that it's almost embarrassing," he continues, trying to lighten the mood for a moment before becoming serious again. "I haven't once thought about being with anyone else since that night at the cover apartment… I just want you, okay?"

"Okay," she says with a nod. "Me too. Just you," she adds.

"Good," he says with a smile before leaning in to kiss her.

==========Expecting==========

This was a bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you liked it all the same.

There's at least two more chapters left in this story… possibly more if I think of something else. We'll see.

The next chapter I have written is when Andy goes into labor, so if anyone has any ideas for scenes between now and then, I'd love to hear them! Even if they are just small ideas like a funny line or a short scene, I'll take it! And hopefully, it will inspire something longer.

I feel like all of my stories are coming to an end at the same time, so if I can prolong this one an extra chapter or two, that would be nice.

Also, if you have ideas for other stories, I'm taking suggestions :)


	13. Last Days

Okay so this chapter is sort of a transitional chapter with a string of random scenes I came up with to try and prolong this story a bit. Hope it's not terrible lol.

Also, I got the idea for the car stuff from Firsts by Annie Blythe, so all credit goes to her.

========Expecting========

"Hey, so I uh…. I kind of wanted to talk to you about something," Sam announces after dinner one night.

"Um… okay," Andy says as she nervously bites her lip.

"No Andy, it's… it's nothing bad," he assures her, seemingly picking up on her nervousness.

"Okay… then what is it?" She asks, still somewhat suspicious.

"Look, I… I know you weren't really on board with the idea before, but I… I really think we should get you a car," he tells her.

"Oh," she responds without giving away her position on the matter.

"I just… I don't like the idea of you being home alone without one when I'm at work, you know?" he asks. "What if the baby needs to go to the doctor and you can't reach me? Or what if you need to go out and buy some diapers? Or what if you just want to get out of the house? You'll need a car," he reasons.

"Sam, I get it," she interrupts. "You're right," she adds.

"Oh… okay, great," he says with a nod. With the way she reacted before, he figured there would be more of an argument before she saw it his way.

"But _I'm_ paying for it," she insists. "I'll just put some money down and get a loan for the rest," she explains.

"Andy, c'mon… There's no reason to get a loan when I can just pitch in," he argues.

"Sam, no," she says with a shake of her head. "I just… I don't feel right about it," she retorts.

"Andy, they'll charge you a ton of interest," he reminds her. "Just let me help you out on this," he implores.

"I'm not changing my mind," she tells him as she crosses her arms and rests them on her belly. "I already feel guilty enough about the mortgage," she continues.

"What about the mortgage?" He asks with a quirked eye brow.

"Don't play dumb, Sam," she sneers. "I know you lied to me about the cost… I know we aren't actually splitting the payments 50-50 like we agreed we would," she says as her frustration starts to bubble over.

"Andy… I…" he says before he lets out a big sigh. He takes a step closer to her and gets both hands on her waist. "Look, I'm sorry I lied, it's just… is it really so bad that I want to take care of you?" He asks.

"Sam!" she yells. "It's like you think I'm some helpless child!" she claims. "I know I don't make as much money as you do, but it doesn't mean I can't afford things!"

Sam lets out another breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Andy, I _know_ ," he assures her. "I've never once thought you were helpless," he continues. "That's the last word I would _ever_ use to describe you," he adds.

"Then would you _just_ let me pay for the car?" She pleads.

Sam lets out a sigh and then just stares at her for a moment as he runs his fingers through her hair. "Okay, how about this… what if _I_ loan you the money?" He suggests. "That way you won't have to pay interest," he reasons.

Andy rolls her eyes. "Nice try, I know you'll never let me pay it back," she accuses.

A small smile crosses his lips. "Okay, what if… what if you and I open up a college fund for the baby? Then, you'll pay back the money by depositing it in there?" He proposes. "I think that's a really great compromise," he adds with a smile.

She eyes him for a moment as she mulls it over, but eventually she nods her head in agreement. "Okay… okay, yeah… That _is_ a pretty good idea," she admits.

"Great," he says with a smile. "So, we'll start looking this weekend?" He suggests.

"Okay," she nods.

"Well then, you better go start doing your research," he says as a knowing smirk crosses his lips.

She lets out a laugh, gives him a quick kiss and then hurries over to her laptop.

========Expecting========

"So… you sure this is the one?" Sam asks as he sits in the passenger seat of the sedan they just took for a test drive.

"This is the one," she announces with a smile.

"It has more miles on it than I'd like," Sam reflects.

" _Sam_ , this is the one," she repeats with that tone in her voice that tells him she's not changing her mind.

"Okay," he says with a laugh as he reaches over and squeezes her knee. "Well, at least it has a good safety rating," he decides.

"Mhm," she says with a nod. "Now… for the _really_ important question… what do you think I should name it?" She wonders.

"You're going to name it? Really?" He asks, incredulously.

"Of course!" She replies. "I'm thinking… Abraham…. Abe for short," she declares.

"Abraham? That's a boy's name," he tells her.

"Always such a keen observer, Swarek," she quips.

"Cars are supposed to be girls," he explains with a playful rolls of his eyes.

"Well, I think that's sexist," she retorts. " _My_ car is definitely a boy… I mean, you have to admit, he _does_ look like a boy," she continues.

"You are insane," he says with a shake of his head and an amused smile.

"I thought you'd be happy… this way you won't be outnumbered when the baby comes," she teases.

"Oh how thoughtful of you," he quips.

"I know… it is," she grins. "Now… let's go buy this thing," she declares.

"Whatever you say," he replies with a laugh.

"Okay, but uh… you're gonna have to help me get out of here," she tells him.

He shoots her a smile and leans in to give her a kiss before he unbuckles his seatbelt, gets out of the car and walks around the other side to help her up.

"Thank you," she says with a big smile.

He returns her expression and quickly presses his lips against hers once more. "You happy?" He asks as he runs his hands up and down her arms.

"Well, I wish I could actually get out of my own car by myself, but all in all… yeah, I'm happy," she grins and gives him another kiss.

========Expecting========

"So, today's McNally's last shift," Oliver states as he and Sam pull out of the parking lot.

"Yep," Sam nods as he looks right and then left before turning at a stop sign.

"How's she holding up?" He asks.

"Not well," Sam replies.

"Yeah, I figured," Oliver says with a nod.

"Mhm," Sam agrees.

"And her due date is coming up pretty quickly, isn't it?" Oliver asks.

"Just a couple weeks away… so it could really be any day now," Sam responds.

"So how are _you_ holding up?" Oliver probes.

"I'm fine," Sam says with a shrug.

" _Sammy_ ," Oliver says with that fatherly tone of voice he has when he wants you to know that he's just not buying it.

"Okay, maybe I'm kind of freaking out," Sam admits.

"That's normal," Oliver assures him. "I'm sure you remember how crazy _I_ was right before Izzy was born," Oliver reminds him.

Sam lets out a laugh. "Yeah, I don't think I'm quite _there_ yet."

"Mhm… just wait," Oliver tells him.

"It'll be fine," Sam declares, trying to convince himself more than Oliver. "I'm just a little anxious, that's all," he adds.

"I know, I get it," Oliver responds.

"I just want everything to go smoothly, you know? I just want Andy and the baby to be okay," he explains.

"Well brother, I can promise you- it will _not_ go smoothly," Oliver says with a laugh. "McNally will probably wake you up in the middle of the night because her water broke and you'll be half asleep trying to remember where the hell you put her hospital bag while she sits on the bed laughing at you. And then you'll probably walk out the door, still wearing your pajamas, and she'll laugh at you some more. Then you'll be speeding down the highway while she's squeezing your hand so hard that you're sure your fingers are about to fall off. And then you'll have to sit through hours and hours of watching her suffer through the worst pain of her life while you feel like a helpless jackass," Oliver explains.

"Sounds wonderful," Sam says with a roll of his eyes.

"Pretty much," Oliver agrees with a smirk. "But then your daughter will be born and you'll completely forget about all of that other stuff," Oliver says with a nostalgic smile.

"Well, I guess I could live with that," Sam replies with a smile of his own.

========Expecting========

"Well, this is it," Andy announces when she sees Sam walk into the locker room after shift.

"Yes it is," Sam nods as he gets right beside her and runs his hand down her back. That's when Andy starts to bite down on her lip as her breathing picks up and her eyes begin to water. "Andy, don't cry," he implores as he wipes away a tear that is sliding down her cheek.

"I'm trying," she promises as she sniffles a bit.

"It'll be okay. You'll be back before you know it," he tells her.

"I'm just… I'm gonna miss you," she admits, completely aware of how ridiculous she sounds.

"Andy… we live together. It's not like we won't see each other," he reminds her with an amused smile.

"I know, but we won't see each other as much as we do now… I'll be at home all by myself and you'll be here," she tells him.

"I know… but whenever I'm not working, I'll be at home with you," he guarantees. "And I already told Frank that I'm going to take a couple long weekends so we can spend some time together before the baby comes," he reminds her.

She nods her head in understanding and stands on her toes to give him a kiss. He wraps his arms around her and holds her for a moment before he eventually releases her.

"You better not go fall in love with your next rookie," she demands with a mock frown.

He lets out a laugh. "Don't worry, no one could ever compare with my last one," he assures her before placing a kiss on her temple.

She shoots him a smile and grabs his hand. "Ready to go?" She asks.

"Yeah," he nods as he leads her out of the station.

========Expecting========

Well, hope you liked this. I know it wasn't the most exciting, but I promise the next chapter is better. And since it is basically written, I should be posting it soon.

PS- Anyone have any ideas for the baby' name? It's so hard for me to come up with a name that feels 100% right… I feel like Sam & Andy would name their kid something very normal, so I don't want anything unusual. Anyway, I'd love some suggestions if you have them. And don't forget to review!

Thanks!


	14. Next Chapter

So…. Here is a very long chapter for everyone to enjoy.

It's possible it MIGHT be too fluffy, but with everything going on in the world, I feel like we could use some fluff, right?

Enjoy!

==========Expecting==========

"Sam, I'm going crazy," she announces as she walks into the family room, where he is sitting on the couch.

"What's wrong?" He asks as he looks up from the book he's reading.

"I want this baby out of me like yesterday," she whines as she sits down beside him and snuggles into his side.

"I know," he empathizes as he rubs her shoulder. "Are you still having the Braxton-Hicks?" He asks. She's been having them on and off for the past two days and they have yet to ease up.

" _Yes_ ," she replies, dramatically. "And I've tried _everything_ to move this thing along, but nothing is working," she complains. "I've been exercising, eating spicy foods, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, eating pineapple and bananas and basil… I even bounced on one of those exercise balls until I felt like my legs were about to fall off! And then I read that bumpy car rides can help so I literally drove around on dirt roads for twenty minutes this morning… I even tried nipple stimulation!" she exclaims.

"What?" He asks with a laugh and an amused smile.

"Shut up!" she says as she playfully hits his chest. "I read on online that it's supposed to induce labor," she says with a laugh, fully aware at how ridiculous she sounds.

"Well, why didn't you say so? I could've helped with that," he says with a grin.

"When is she gonna come out?" Andy asks with quite a bit of exasperation. She is two days past her due date and she is all kinds of uncomfortable. All she wants is for her little girl to be born, but she's just not cooperating.

"When she's ready, I guess," Sam tells her as he massages her neck.

"Ugh!" Andy replies.

"What can I do?" Sam asks as he turns to face her and uses a hand to caress her jaw.

"Well, there's one more thing I haven't tried because I kind of need you to do it," she tells him as a smirk starts to form.

"Oh yeah?" He asks, curious.

"I need you to have sex with me. Like a lot of sex," she explains. "Right now," she adds.

"Hmm… I think I could probably do that," he agrees with a smile. "C'mon," he says as he helps her off the couch, grabs her hand and starts to lead her towards their bedroom. "So… only kind of?" He asks with a quirked eyebrow, referring to her words from a minute ago.

She lets out a laugh. "Well, the delivery guy that came by today was pretty cute… and I bet he would've done me a favor if I asked _really_ nice," she teases. "But I figured you'd probably prefer that I wait until you got home," she smirks as they walk through the doorway and stand beside their bed.

Sam hmms as he starts to pull her shirt over her head.

"Plus I'm sure he wouldn't do as good of a job," she grins.

"Mhm," he replies, seemingly not ready to let her off the hook just yet.

That' when she circles both arms around his neck and stands on her toes to get as close as she can to him. "Love you," she tells him as she hovers on his lips.

"Love you, too," he tells her, finally giving in and presses his lips against her.

She smiles and slowly opens her eyes as he pulls away. "Now, can you please get this baby out of me?" She begs.

"I'll see what I can do," he promises.

==========Expecting==========

"Well, that was a valiant effort Swarek, but it looks like this baby just doesn't wanna come out," she tells him as she runs her hands over her belly.

He lets out a chuckle and gives her a kiss on her forehead. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower… wanna come with?" He asks as he runs his fingers through her hair.

"Always," she responds with a grin.

He returns her smile and proceeds to help her out of bed before leading her to the bathroom and assisting her with getting into the shower.

"You know… after this, we should probably do it a few more times," she suggests.

"Oh yeah?" He asks with an amused smile.

"Mhm… gotta put some in the bank since we won't be able to do it for six weeks after the baby's born," she reminds him.

"Good point," he agrees. "Plus, we're probably gonna have our hands full with the whole parenting thing for a while," he teases as he squeezes a dollop of shampoo into his hands and massages it into her scalp.

"Mhm. That too," she quips as she closes her eyes and relishes the feeling of his hands in her hair.

"Oh shit," she says a minute or so later.

"What's wrong?" He asks, the concern evident in his voice, as he pulls his hands away from her head so he can get a good look at her.

"I think my water just broke," she announces as she looks down at the shower floor.

"What? How can you tell?" He asks, also looking down at the floor.

"Because I felt it!" she exclaims at his stupid question.

"Okay, okay… let's get out of here. We have to go to hospital," he says as he reaches to turn off the water.

"Sam, wait," she says as she grabs his arm. "Can I at least wash my hair first?" She asks as she points to her head.

"Oh… oh, yeah, sorry," he apologizes as he steps around her so she can get her head under the water.

"Well, I guess if there is an ideal place for your water to break, it would be in the shower," she muses as she washes the shampoo out of her hair.

"Yeah," he agrees with a nervous laugh as he runs his fingers through his own hair. "I'm gonna go dry off," he tells her before he steps out of the shower and towels off.

"You know, I knew I should've tried sex first… you have no idea what I went through today. I had the worst heartburn of my life from all of that spicy food and I got so nauseous from that bumpy car ride and all of that bouncing… and sitting on the couch trying to stimulate your nipples while Judge Judy is on in the background just feels wrong," she tells him as she turns off the faucet and pushes the shower curtain aside.

"Mhm," he says, only half listening as he grabs her hand and helps her out of the shower before wrapping a towel around her and drying her off.

"Sam, relax… I haven't even had a real contraction yet… we have plenty of time," she assures him, covering her hand with his and giving it a squeeze.

He looks up at her and nods. "Yeah… yeah, I know… I'll just feel a lot better when we're at the hospital," he tells her.

"I know, just let me get dressed and we can go," she tells him.

And it's ten minutes later that they are in the truck and on their way to the hospital.

"Sam, slow down," Andy implores. "We have time," she adds.

He glances over at her and steps on the break. Honestly, he didn't even realize he was going so fast. He's a little bit lost in his own world right now. His mind is spinning and he has no idea how to make it stop.

"Are you freaking out?" She wonders.

"No," he responds, a little too quickly.

" _Okay_ ," she says with a roll of her eyes, obviously not believing him for a second.

He quickly glances over at her again before grabbing her hand, interlocking their fingers and bringing it to his lips. "Sorry," he tells her as he rests their hands on the center console. "I'm just a little anxious," he admits.

"What do _you_ have to be anxious about? _I'm_ the one about to give birth," she reminds him with a chuckle.

"I know," he agrees. "You scared?" He asks, briefly peeking over at her and soothingly rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Yeah," she nods. "But you'll be there," she adds with a smile.

"Yeah, I will," he responds with a smile. "I love you," he tells her.

"Love you, too," she tells him.

==========Expecting==========

"God, this _really_ sucks," she complains once her contraction is over and she's finally loosened her grip on Sam's hand.

"I know," Sam replies as he gives her hand a reassuring squeeze and pushes her hair out of her face. Seeing her in this much pain… it's pretty much torture for him. He just really wants it to be over already, but the doctor left maybe five minutes ago and he said she still had a ways to go.

"Lie down with me?" She asks as she scoots to the side of the hospital bed in order to make room for him.

"Okay," he responds as he gets up onto the bed. She immediately moves back over to him and rests her head on his chest as he wraps an arm around her.

"You need to distract me," she informs him as she starts to draw lazy patterns on his chest.

"Okay…" he begins, trying to figure out how to go about doing that. His normal methods of distraction are kind of out of the question right now, so…

"Tell me a story," she requests, seemingly picking up on his uncertainty.

"What kind of story?" He wonders as she interlocks their fingers.

"Our story," she replies as her lips turn upward.

He smiles as he uses his other hand to play with her hair. " _Well_ … it all started when this incredibly overeager rookie tackled me in an alley and gave me a particularly _friendly_ pat down," he begins with a smirk.

"You know, I think I remember it starting a little differently," she muses.

"Nope. That's exactly how it went down," he maintains. "And despite my pleading with her not to arrest me, she cuffed me and threw me in the back of the cruiser," he adds.

"Oh because if someone you thought was a murder suspect asked you not to arrest them, you'd just let them go?" She retorts, incredulously.

He grins down at her, knowing that she's right, and then presses his lips against her forehead. " _Anyway_ … when we got to the station, my cover was blown, so I obviously wasn't too happy with her and she knew it. And most rookies, they would have avoided me for at _least_ the next six months, but not this one. No, she just busted in on me while I was changing in the locker room, called me out for being an ass, and forced me to help her," he continues.

"And I'm sure you loved that." Andy quips.

"Actually… I kind of did," he admits. "I was… intrigued," he explains.

"Oh yeah?" She asks, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

"Yeah," he says as he places a kiss on her temple. "That's why I asked Boyco if I could train you," he admits.

"What? You never told me that," she replies, a little bit stunned by his confession.

"Mhm… pretty sure he thought I just wanted to torture you a little and… yeah, I kind of did, but you also really impressed me," he tells her.

"Wow. Who knew?" She exclaims.

"Yeah, so anyway… when I had my first shift with this rookie, she impressed me even more… basically saved my ass," he continues.

"She did, didn't she?" Andy reminisces with a grin.

"Yeah… and after that, I kind of couldn't stop thinking about her," he divulges.

"Really?" She asks, surprised.

"Yeah. And that night, when everyone was at the Penny, I couldn't stop looking over at her… I mean, she was beautiful and she had the most amazing smile, but it was even more than that… something I couldn't really figure out and it was… frustrating- that this rookie was getting to me. So, I decided to head home so I could get away from her and force her out of my mind," he explains.

"I'm sure that worked well," she quips.

"Not really. She followed me into the parking lot," he tells her.

"She's kind of persistent that way, isn't she?" Andy asks with a smirk.

"Oh you have _no_ idea," he responds with a smile, causing her to laugh out loud. "So, there we were… in the parking lot talking and she's telling me how she wasn't scared earlier because I was there and I don't know, it made me… proud," he admits.

"Well, it was true… still is," she replies, earning herself a big smile.

"And then suddenly, we were standing really close to each other and all I wanted to do was kiss her and it seemed like she wanted to kiss me, too," he continues.

"She did," she says with a nod.

"But she didn't," he reminds her.

"Well, it was her first week on the job and he was her training officer," she rationalizes.

"Yeah, so we went our separate ways that night and I continued training her and even though she drove me crazy on a regular basis, I seriously hated being partnered with anyone else," he confesses.

"So did she," she says with a smile.

"But then she started dating this arrogant detective, which is funny because she told me she didn't date cops," he continues, causing Andy to let out a sheepish smile. "And so, I kept trying to get her out of my head, but nothing worked… because, as much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, I knew she wasn't just any other rookie," he acknowledges.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean… I don't normally fix a stranger's sink while I'm hungover just because a rookie asked me to, or let them drive my truck or offer them rides… No, I only did that stuff for her," he explains as Andy shoots him a smile while he strokes the back of her hand with his thumb. "And then one night, during a blackout, she showed up at my door and kissed me. And I should've stopped her. I knew she was just upset, but I could never say no to her and honestly… I really didn't want to. So I didn't… But then the lights turned on and the detective called her and eventually she left… And yeah, after that I pretty much knew that, no matter how badly I wanted to, trying to get her out of my head was a lost cause," he admits.

"You know, you were in _her_ head, too," she informs him. He gives her a smile and a kiss on the forehead and then they just lie there, smiling at each other for a moment, until her face starts to contort in pain and he knows she's having another contraction. "Oh shit… hold that thought," she groans as she starts to squeeze his hand. Sam continues to hold her and rub her back while reminding her to breathe until she finally relaxes and releases the tight grip she has on his hand.

"Over?" He asks.

"Yeah," she confirms as she lets out a large breath. "Each one is worse than the last," she complains.

"I know," he says as he pushes a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Okay… so, tell me what happens next," she demands.

"You _know_ what happens next, you were there," he says with a laugh.

"I know, but I like hearing it from your perspective," she tells him with a smile.

He lets out another laugh. "Okay _well_ … after the blackout, the rookie and I went on a _very_ awkward trip to Sudbury and eventually, we decided that we'd try to be friends… and surprisingly enough, we really did become friends… great friends," he tells her.

"Yeah, we did," she agrees with a smile.

"Yeah, for someone who used to just be the rookie who burned me… she slowly became one of the most important people in my life… but in the back of my head, I still hoped that someday we could be more," he confesses.

"Sam…" She says, starting to get teary-eyed. Ever since they got together the first time, she's been chastising herself for all of the missed opportunities and the hurt she caused. She wasted so much time trying not to have feelings for him and in the end, she just wishes she took him off ice a long time ago.

"And when she got engaged to the detective, I thought I had really lost my chance and as much as it sucked, I resigned myself to never being anything more than just her friend. But then the detective fucked everything up and as unbelievably pissed as I was at him for hurting her, I can't deny that I was also happy about the possibility of something happening between us… but the last thing I ever wanted to be was a rebound, so I just tried to be there for her," he explains.

"You were… you always are," she tells him.

"But then a couple months later, she was _again_ saying that she didn't want to date cops, so that was encouraging," he says sarcastically, eliciting a laugh from her. "And then I got offered this undercover job and at first, I was going to turn it down," he admits.

"You were?" She inquires with some obvious surprise.

"Yeah… and I'm not proud of this, but I started telling her about it, wanting to know how she'd react… and it's probably not fair, but it wasn't exactly the reaction I wanted… I guess I was sort of hoping that she'd be at least a _little_ upset about it, but it didn't seem like she was, so I just thought… this woman has turned me down twice now and all she's giving me is reason after reason to think that it's just never going to happen between us… so, I figured that I couldn't turn down this opportunity just on the hope that maybe she'll eventually come around… And I thought that maybe getting away would help me finally get over her… so, I agreed to go under and I ended up leaving that same night," he says.

"Sam, of course I didn't _want_ you to go!" she exclaims. "But what was I supposed to say? I thought it was what you wanted," she explains.

"I know," he acknowledges as he runs his fingers through her hair. "Either way, it took about an hour at the cover apartment for me to regret my decision because it didn't even take me that long to start missing her," he continues.

"She missed you too," she assures him.

"But I guess the _universe_ had a plan for us because I ran into her at a bar a month later," he says with a smile.

"I guess it did," she agrees as she mirrors his expression.

"And then she basically propositioned me in front of my mark, which was… unexpected," he smirks, causing her to laugh out loud. "So, we went back to the cover apartment and we had an unbelievable night."

"Yeah, we really did," she says with a nod and a smile.

"But then she had to go and saying goodbye to her, it was… _torturous_ ," he conveys.

"Yeah, it was," she agrees.

"And then I spent the next three days thinking of nothing but her… I was going completely crazy. I tried to talk myself out of calling her, but eventually, I just _had_ to see her. So, I called her and she came over and we spent another incredible night together. And then, the next morning I woke up with her in my arms and it was the best feeling in the world. And I knew that I wanted _every_ morning to be just like that one," he declares.

"She felt the same way," she replies with a smile. He shoots her a grin and leans in to give her a quick kiss.

"So, then there were a few hiccups with the operation and I ended up in a pretty bad situation, but she saved my ass once again… And even though I had literally just spent the day being tortured and my whole body felt like absolute shit, I hadn't been that happy in a long time because that night, I got to take her home with me," he continues.

She smiles at him for a moment, but then her face turns pale and she shuts her eyes and starts to squeeze his hand again. "Ow," she cringes as he rubs her back while she breathes through the pain. He just hates seeing her like this- in pain and nothing he can do about it. He just feels so helpless. And that's really not a feeling he enjoys… especially when it comes to her.

She lets out a large breath when it's over and turns towards him. "Keep going," she urges.

"Okay… so that happiness was a bit short-lived because she left for North Bay shortly thereafter and we spent three completely terrible months apart during our suspension… and yeah, it was pretty much the worst three months of my life," he tells her.

"Yeah, for her too," she acknowledges.

"But when she got back, we were finally on the same page and I had seriously never been happier, but I had also never been more terrified… I could already feel myself falling in love with her and it was… scary… and because of that, I made some mistakes," he continues.

"We both did," she interrupts. "But I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to, you know? I mean, I feel like all of that was just something we needed to go through… because, I do think we're much closer now, don't you?" She asks.

"Yeah, we are," he agrees with a smile. "I mean, I wish we didn't have to go through it, but I'm really happy with where we are now," he tells her.

"Me too," she smiles before leaning in for a kiss. When she pulls away, she just beams at him for a moment. "That was a pretty good story."

==========Expecting==========

The moment she is born is all a blur. A nurse quickly wraps her in a pink blanket and begins to wipe her off a little while another nurse hands him a pair of scissors, calls him Daddy and asks if he wants to cut the cord. And yeah, he probably shouldn't be handling scissors with the way he's feeling right now, but he does. He cuts the cord and then the nurses take his daughter to the other side of the room to clean her up.

That's when he's back at Andy's side, placing kisses on her sweaty forehead, telling her what a great job she did and how amazing she is and how much he loves her.

And he just feels completely out of control- with all of the emotions swirling around inside of him. He simultaneously feels like he wants to do a few laps around the hospital and also just lie in bed with his arms wrapped around Andy while staring at his newborn daughter for the rest of his life.

When the nurse comes back over to them a few seconds later, the baby is tightly wrapped in a blanket and wearing a tiny pink hat with a small bow on the side. She places her in Andy's arms and tells them that she's beautiful and she looks great. And he's not sure why, but he can't help but feel proud of that.

He settles in the bed beside Andy and she immediately snuggles into him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her and kiss the top of her head. And they just spend the next few minutes in complete silence, staring down at their daughter, both trying to memorize every single inch of her.

He's still just completely blown away by all of it. It's finally beginning to dawn on him that he's actually a father now, and it feels unbelievably surreal.

He runs his thumb along her arm and then down to her tiny hand. Her skin is so soft and pink and her fingers are just so little. She looks so small and fragile and he just wants to wrap her in bubble wrap and protect her forever.

"I can't believe she's really ours," Andy says as she fidgets with the tiny pink hat on her head.

"I know," he agrees, as he continues to stare at his baby girl.

"She's pretty perfect, don't you think?" Andy comments, finally taking her eyes off their daughter and looking up at Sam's adoring eyes.

"She's _completely_ perfect," he tells her. And they both have these big, silly grins on their faces.

"Yeah she really is," Andy agrees.

"She looks like you," Sam points out.

"You think?" She asks, as her smile widens.

"Yeah, that's the same exact face you make when you're sleeping," he tells her with a smirk.

She chuckles a bit and then they spend God knows how long just staring at their newborn daughter.

==========Expecting==========

Well, hope everyone liked that!

Anyone have any ideas for post-baby life? I'm 27 and thus, I don't have any kids, which makes coming up with those kinds of ideas kind of difficult. I only have two scenes written right now, so I definitely need some ideas. I'll take anything really- funny anecdotes, silly banter, general ideas, etc.

And don't forget to review!


	15. Emotions

Sorry this took so long, but I was having a bit of trouble writing this… Still not loving how it came out, but hopefully it's enjoyable…. It's basically a bunch of random scenes strung together, but at least it's nice and long, so I'm sure there's at least _some_ good stuff in here lol.

==========EXPECTING==========

"You wanna hold her?" Andy asks as she glances up at Sam. The two of them have essentially been sitting in bed and staring at their daughter for the past ten minutes, trying to study and memorize every single thing about her.

"Yeah," he nods as he shuffles around so she can pass the baby to him.

Once he's got her in his arms, he's just overcome with emotion. It all still feels so surreal- that he's actually a father and that this tiny little girl in his arms is his daughter. He honestly has no idea what he's feeling right now. It's kind of indescribable- some kind of mixture of elated and exhausted and completely overwhelmed.

"How does it feel?" Andy asks as she watches the two of them with a smile.

Sam glances up and meets Andy's adoring eyes. "Don't think it's really hit me yet," he tells her.

"I know," she agrees. And then a beat later, "Sam… we're _parents_ ," she declares.

He lets out a chuckle. "It's crazy," he agrees, before his eyes return to his daughter.

The two of them stay like that for another few minutes before a nurse knocks on their door and steps into the room. "Are you two up for some visitors? I've got quite a few cops out there trying to flash their badges to get in here and see this little one," she says with a laugh.

Sam and Andy both chuckle as they steal glances at each other. "Send them in," Andy says with a smile.

"Okay… I can only send one or two in at a time… Should I start with grandpa?" She proposes.

"Yeah," Andy smiles as she nods her head.

After the nurse leaves, it's only another minute or two before Tommy strolls into the room.

"Hey Dad," Andy greets him with a smile.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you?" He questions as he walks towards his daughter.

"I'm great," she replies. "Ready to meet your granddaughter?" She asks.

That's when Tommy's eyes wander to the baby in Sam's arms and his face instantly brightens as a smile slips out. Sam passes the baby over to Andy while Tommy gets right up next to the bed so he can get a closer look.

"This is Emma," Andy introduces them as she smiles down at the baby.

"She's beautiful," Tommy tells them, as he studies his granddaughter. It's obvious that he's trying to fight all of the emotions he's feeling and it's seriously making it difficult for Andy to do the same. "Good work you two," he says, as he tries to lighten the mood.

Andy smiles at her father before sharing a quick one with Sam.

"I can't believe I'm actually a grandfather," he muses. "I don't feel old enough," he adds with a laugh.

"Pretty sure you're old enough, Dad," she teases.

"Thanks," he replies sarcastically.

"You wanna hold her?" Andy asks.

"Definitely," Tommy responds as he sits down on the bed and reaches for Emma. The second he gets her in his arms, his eyes start to glass and he attempts to clear his throat. It's clear that those emotions are popping up again and he's desperately trying to fight them. "She looks a lot like you did when you were born," Tommy muses as he continues to stare.

"Really?" Andy asks. "Sam says she has my sleeping face," she laughs.

"I'll have to find some pictures to show you," he tells her.

"Yeah, I'd love to compare them," Andy agrees.

The three of them continue to sit and stare at the baby for another ten or fifteen minutes before the nurse comes in and tells them that the others are beginning to get restless. Then, a few minutes later, Tommy hands the baby back to Sam, gives Andy a kiss and tells them he'll be back after his meeting.

After Tommy leaves, it's only seconds later that Oliver and Traci walk into the room.

"Wow, that is one gorgeous baby," Traci swoons as she walks to Sam's side of the bed and inspects the little bundle in his arms. "What's her name?" She asks.

"Emma," Andy replies. "Emma Swarek," she adds with a grin.

And the whole thing makes Sam's heart flutter. They had decided on the name a couple weeks ago, but he had never really considered what her last name would be, and hearing it now… it's making his emotions bubble over again. That's when he steals a glance at Andy and they share a smile before Traci pulls them out of their reverie.

"Hi Emma," Traci coos before she looks up at Andy. "So how was it?" She asks.

"Well… it pretty much sucked," Andy replies with a small laugh.

"Sounds about right," Traci agrees. And then a moment later, "Okay, Swarek, hand her over," she says as she holds her arms out and gestures for him to pass the baby to her.

Sam lets out a laugh and then reluctantly hands his daughter over to Traci, so she and Oliver can fawn all over her.

"Hi Emma, I'm your Uncle Ollie," Oliver greets her as he leans in closer. "I know your Daddy looks tough, but don't worry. I'm sure your Mommy will teach you how to make him do _whatever_ you want," he tells the baby as he lightly tickles her stomach.

Traci and Andy giggle at his words, while Sam rolls his eyes and tries to fight the smile that seems to be escaping his lips. "Thanks Uncle Ollie," Sam tells him, with the sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

"Well, brother… after a decade of your torture, you better be prepared for some payback… in a couple years, when you're forced to dress up for tea parties and go to Daddy-daughter dances, Uncle Ollie will be _right_ there with the camera," he teases.

"Looking forward to it," Sam replies with another roll of his eyes.

==========EXPECTING==========

"Sam, really… why don't you go home and get some rest?" Andy asks. "There's no reason for you to sleep on that uncomfortable cot when you could be home in our bed," she tells him.

"Andy, stop. I'm staying here," he argues as he starts setting up the cot beside her bed. Andy isn't getting discharged until tomorrow morning, which means she and the baby will have to spend the night here. And yeah, he could go home, but honestly… the last thing he wants to do is to be away from his family.

"Okay, whatever. Just don't complain tomorrow when your back feels like shit," she counters.

"I'll be fine," he assures her as he starts to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" She wonders.

"I'm going to get Emma," he informs her.

"The nurse _just_ took her to the nursery twenty minutes ago," she reminds him as she tries to tame down her smirk. Sam was not too pleased that the nurse took her in the first place, but eventually, he relented when she explained that they were just going to run a few basic tests. But yeah, of course, he doesn't make it longer than twenty minutes before he has to go rescue her. And honestly, it just makes Andy love him even more.

"I know," he responds with a shrug. "But at eight o'clock they start doing the bathing tutorials and I don't want them using her as a guinea pig," he explains.

"Okay," Andy nods as she continues to unsuccessfully hide the amused expression on her face.

"What?" He asks, obviously picking up on the look she's giving him. "That doesn't make you nervous? Strangers using our daughter to demo bath time?" He asks.

"I don't _love_ it," she assures him. "But they _are_ trained professionals," she reminds him.

"Still… I'm just not comfortable with her being out of our sight," he responds. "I mean, I don't think there's much security in this place," he adds.

"I know," she says with a nod. "Come here," she gestures using her finger as she sits at the edge of the bed. It's still a little painful for her to walk around, so she's been trying not to move too much. Once he's by her side, she wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer until her lips are hovering over his. "You are _so_ sexy as a Dad," she tells him with a grin.

That gets a smile out of him as he closes the distance between them and presses his lips against hers.

"I love you," she tells him.

"Love you, too," he replies with a smile.

"Now, go get our daughter before someone tries to bathe her!" she says, still teasing him a bit.

He playfully rolls his eyes at her, but then gives her a quick kiss before turning and walking out the door.

==========EXPECTING==========

"I told you we should have practiced this before," Andy reminds him as the two of them are trying to figure out how to get Emma situated in her car seat.

"Who knew these things were so complicated?" He muses. "Plus, it's kind of hard to practice without the baby," he retorts.

"We could've used a doll or something," she says with a shrug as she is gently rocking the baby against her chest.

"Yeah, well… we're both smart people… we should be able to figure this out," he says as he scratches his forehead. "Read me the directions again," he requests.

"Thread both portions of vehicle belt into locking clip as close to buckle plate as possible. Then, thread under seat pad between buckle strap and rear slots to opposite sides," she reads.

"Okay, that is just a bunch of random words strung together," he groans as he pinches he bridge of his nose.

"Maybe we should call Oliver… He could probably set this thing up with his eyes closed," she suggests.

"No, I got this," he argues as his focus returns to the task at hand.

"Okay," Andy replies as she leans back against the seat and waits. She's fairly certain that Sam has no idea what he's doing, but she's not about to say anything. She's getting the feeling that this is more about his pride than it is about the car seat. Yeah, she's getting the impression that, in Sam's mind, if he can't install this car seat it somehow means he's a failure as a father and possibly a man. And men think women are insane?

It's twenty minutes later when they finally just about home. After about ten more minutes of Sam attempting to install Emma's car seat, Andy finally convinced him that asking Oliver for help is what a good, intelligent father would do and after she put it like that, he agreed. So yeah, they video-chatted with him and he was able to quickly talk them through it like a pro. And afterwards, he of course proceeded to throw that fact in Sam's face, which he didn't love.

When they finally pull into their driveway, Sam turns off the car and quickly makes his way around the truck to open the passenger door for Andy, who was sitting in the back with the baby. She unbuckles Emma's seatbelt and carries her inside while Sam grabs her bag from the truck.

Once they step inside, Sam places Andy's bag by the door and follows her further into the house. She heads towards the family room, while he quickly checks their messages. Moments later, she walks back into the kitchen with the baby still in their arms.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?" He asks.

"What the fuck do we do now?" She asks with wide eyes.

He lets out a laugh and makes his way towards her. He places a comforting hand on her back while the other caresses his daughter's head. "Now… I'm pretty sure we raise her," he replies with an amused smile.

==========EXPECTING==========

It's less than a week later when Traci and Andy are taking a leisurely walk around the neighborhood while Emma rests in the stroller.

"So… how is Sam doing with the baby?" Traci inquires.

"God Trace, he's _so_ adorable," Andy swoons. "The first couple nights after we brought her home, he literally woke up every hour to make sure she was still breathing," she tells her. "And he's already baby-proofed _everything_ in the house," she adds.

"Does he know she won't be able to get into anything for at least another seven months?" Traci wonders.

"Yeah, he knows," Andy nods with a smile.

"Wow," Traci comments.

"I know. He's definitely insane, but I think it's cute," Andy grins. "And I mean, I already knew he was going to be a worrier, so I had prepared myself for it," she adds with a laugh.

"True," Traci concurs before the two of them walk down the street in silence for a bit, until Traci gets things going again. "So, how are _you_ doing?" She asks.

"I'm… I'm _exhausted_ ," she replies, dramatically. "And I'm still _super_ emotional… when does that end?" She wonders.

"Probably not for a little while," Traci replies.

"It's weird… when I was pregnant, I was just crazy hormonal and then I'd also cry a lot more than usual, but this… I don't know… I've just got so many emotions swirling around inside of me all the time, you know? It's like whenever Sam is holding Emma and he's got this look on his face of just complete adoration, I can't help but get a little weepy… and when he worries that Emma is hiccupping too much or that she hasn't peed in a few hours, I just want to melt inside… I don't know, he's just so sweet, I can't handle it," she explains with a laugh.

"That's normal," Traci assures her. "You and Sam are the two people in this world that love Emma the most… and from now on, you'll always have an even stronger connection because of it… I mean, with everything that's happened between Dex and I… because he's Leo's father, we will always share a bond… and that's what you're feeling with Sam," she explains.

"Yeah, you're right," Andy agrees. "Ever since Emma was born, I feel like I love him so much more than I used to… and that's saying a lot," she adds.

Traci smiles at her friend and wraps an arm around her shoulder. "I'm really glad you two got it together… I mean, it's obvious how much happier you both are," she replies.

"Yeah," Andy nods. "I haven't slept more than two hours a night in the past week and I barely have time to shower in the morning, but I've really never been happier," she says with a smile as they continue strolling through the neighborhood.

==========EXPECTING==========

"Mom… hi… what are you doing here?" Andy asks as she opens the door to find her mother standing on her front steps.

"I just thought I'd come by… see how you're doing… if you needed anything," she explains with a warm smile.

"Oh um…. thanks," Andy replies. "But I think we have everything under control," she tells her mother as she gestures for her to come inside, figuring that it's the polite thing to do. Ever since Andy became a mother, she's felt much more disconnected from Claire. It's just that… since the moment Emma was born, she's felt this immense and completely indescribable love towards her. She can't imagine anything in the world making her leave her daughter and the fact that her own mother was able to do it… it makes even less sense than it did before. But still, she's trying not to let that interfere with the rekindling of their relationship because this is a time in her life where she really could use her mother.

"Oh, Sam has the day off?" She asks Andy, seemingly surprised at her use of the word "we."

"He's taking a few weeks to help get everything settled with the baby," Andy explains.

"Oh," Claire says with some surprise. "That's… really nice of him," she compliments.

Now it's Andy's turn to be surprised. She doesn't think her mother has _ever_ willingly said anything nice about Sam. "Yeah," Andy agrees. "He doesn't want me doing too much since I'm still recovering," she tells her.

"Your father was back at work the very next day," Claire informs her. "And _I_ had a C-section," she adds.

Andy tries not to cringe, but Claire notices right away.

"I'm sorry. I just meant that… it's great that Sam is being so helpful," she back tracks.

"Yeah, he's been really great… but I knew he would be," Andy replies.

Claire smiles. "So… is she awake? Can I see her?" She asks.

"Yeah, Sam was just giving her a bottle," Andy explains as she leads her mother into the family room. When they enter the room, they find Sam lying on the couch, holding the baby on his chest while they both sleep peacefully.

Andy is beaming as she looks down at the two of them sleeping on the couch. And when she glances over at her mother, she sees a smile on her face as well.

"Looks like fatherhood really agrees with him," Claire says softly, not wanting to wake either of them up.

"It does," Andy agrees with a grin.

"She looks so much like you did as a baby," Claire muses as she stares at her sleeping granddaughter.

"I think she has a little Sam in her, too," Andy replies, unable to keep the smile off her face. "I mean, she definitely got his eyelashes… and I'm still crossing my fingers for dimples," she adds.

Claire smiles at the grin on her daughter's face, before taking one last look at the baby sleeping on Sam's chest. "Well, I don't want to disturb you, I should probably get going," Claire informs her.

"Oh, yeah, okay," Andy replies before she leads her back to the front door. "Thanks for stopping by," she adds.

"When Sam goes back to work… if you ever need help with anything or just want an hour to yourself, call me, okay? I can come over and help whenever you need," she offers.

"Thanks Mom," she says as she gives her mother a hug.

"Bye Andy," she says before she walks out the door.

Andy watches her mother walk to her car, then closes the door and walks back into the family room. She stands there staring at the adorable scene on the couch for another minute or so before she gets on her knees right beside the couch and wakes Sam up with a kiss on his forehead.

"Hey," he says, still groggy with sleep.

"Hey," she smiles. "Why don't we all go take a nap in our actual beds?" She suggests.

"Yeah," he agrees with a nod before he sits up, careful not to wake the baby. The two of them walk towards their bedroom with the baby still in his arms. Then, he carefully puts her down in the bassinette next to their bed and wraps an arm around Andy while they watch their daughter sleep for a minute.

When they climb into bed, Andy immediately snuggles up beside him and rests her head on his chest. "So, I think my mother might like you now," she announces, softly.

"Oh yeah?" He asks with his eyes closed.

"She was very impressed that you took time off work and were helping so much with the baby," she explains.

Sam hmms before placing a kiss on Andy's temple. "She call you?" He asks, still refusing to open his eyes.

"She was here while you were sleeping on the couch. She said fatherhood looks good on you," Andy says, proudly.

Sam smiles at that and tightens his grip on her.

"It does, you know," Andy tells him.

That's when Sam opens his eyes to look at her. "Looks good on you, too," he replies. "Motherhood, I mean."

"Thanks," she says with a smile before leaning in to give him a kiss and then settling back to rest on his chest.

"I love you, McNally," he whispers.

"Love you too, Sam," she replies before they both drift off to sleep.

==========EXPECTING==========

Well, hope you liked it. Let me know which scene was your favorite!

On a side note, the next chapter I have written is the last one…. If anyone has ideas for a chapter or two in between, I'm all ears


	16. First Weeks

Amazingly, I was able to come up with enough scenes to make up one more chapter before we get to the last one.

And thanks to Carol Ann for the idea of Andy eavesdropping on Sam and Oliver's conversation. Hope you like where I went with it!

==========EXPECTING==========

"What time are they coming?" Andy wonders as she stands at the sink washing Emma's bottles while Sam stands beside her, holding the baby in his arms.

"Should be here any minute," he responds after glancing at his watch.

"You nervous?" Andy questions as she turns her head to glance at him.

"I don't know," he shrugs. "Just hoping we can get through one visit without fighting," he replies. "I probably should've just gotten this over with at the hospital… they would've behaved better in a public place," he explains.

"I'm sure it'll be fine… everyone's focus will be on the baby," she reminds him. "And you're mom sounded really excited when you invited her over," she adds.

"Yeah," he nods his head as Andy dries the last of Emma's bottles and then wipes her hands, just in time for the doorbell to ring.

"I'll grab it," she announces, before walking towards the front door. Once she opens it, she sees Sam's mother and sister standing on their landing with at least four gift bags between the two of them. "Hi guys, come on in," she says with a smile as she gestures for them to come inside.

"Andy, how are you?" Lynn asks as she holds her arms open to give Andy a hug.

"I'm great, how are you?" Andy replies as she gives Lynn a quick hug.

"Just excited to finally meet my granddaughter," she exclaims with a smile.

"If you can't tell, someone's been counting down the days," Sarah teases as she takes a step towards Andy and wraps an arm around her in greeting.

"Well, she and Sam are in the kitchen," Andy informs them as she gives Sarah a half hug.

"Lead the way," Lynn replies.

Andy quickly guides them through the house until they all walk into the kitchen, where Sam is still standing where she left him.

"Hi Mom… Square," he greets his mother and sister. "This is Emma," he introduces them as he turns his body so they can get a look at her face.

"Oh my God… Sammy, she's beautiful," Lynn gasps as she finally gets a look at her granddaughter.

"Thanks Mom," he says with a smile. "You wanna hold her?" He asks.

"Of course I do," she exclaims with a grin as she reaches for her granddaughter and gathers her in her arms. "Oh wow, look at those eyelashes," she muses as she looks down at Emma. "She definitely gets those from you," she adds with a smile.

"That's what I always tell him," Andy tells her. "I'm still waiting for the dimples, though," she adds with a laugh as she moves right up next to Sam, who wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulls her close and places a kiss on her temple.

"Are you going to have some dimples just like Daddy?" Lynn asks her granddaughter as she gently tickles her stomach. "I think you are," she coos as Sam and Andy look on with smiles on their faces. The four of them continue to stand there for a couple more minutes while Lynn fawns all over the baby.

"So… is she waking up a lot through the night?" Lynn eventually asks.

"It's not too bad… she usually wakes up about three times a night… but she usually falls back asleep pretty quickly," Andy replies.

"Well, I hope you're making Sammy help out, too," Lynn tells her.

Andy can immediately feel Sam tense at her words, so she tries to give him a reassuring squeeze before she responds to Lynn's comment. "Sam's been amazing," she replies before the situation escalates. "He wakes up with her just as much as I do… he changes diapers, feeds her, gets her dressed… he does all of it. He's really been a huge help… I don't know how I'd do this without him," she continues as she soothingly runs her hand up and down his back. He glances down at her and they exchange a quick smile before he tightens his grasp on her.

"Well, I'm glad… that's exactly what a mother wants to hear about her son," she says as she smiles up at Sam, who doesn't exactly return the sentiment. "Oh I'm sorry Sarah, I know I've been hogging her… do you want to hold her?" Lynn asks her daughter.

"Sure," Sarah replies as she holds her arms out for the baby.

"Maybe she will inspire you to have some of your own one day… I want at least a few more of these," she says with a laugh, causing Sarah to roll her eyes.

"God, after all your years of begging, you finally have a grandchild and you're _still_ not happy?" Sarah groans. "Figures," she adds.

"I've always wanted grandchildren," Lynn explains to Andy. "I had pretty much given up on the idea forever when I found out about this little one," she says as she leans over and taps Emma's nose. "I should probably send you a fruit basket or something, Andy… for finally giving me a baby," she teases.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I had something to do with it, too," Sam interjects.

"You want a fruit basket too, Sammy?" She says in a mocking tone.

"No, I'm good, thanks," he replies with a roll of his eyes.

"Okay," she shrugs. "So… do you think you'll have another one someday?" She wonders.

"Mom, _really_?" Sam asks with widened eyes, while Andy giggles beside him.

"What? I'm just making conservation," she argues. "Don't you want Emma to have a little brother or sister?" She adds.

"God, you are relentless," he groans.

"I'm just kidding, Sammy. I'll stop," she promises.

"Thank you," he replies.

"Okay well, let me show you what I bought for Emma… I think I left the bags by the door," she says before she walks towards the front door to retrieve the gifts bags.

"Well, she seems excited," Andy observes with a smirk.

"Oh you have no idea," Sarah replies. "She really wasn't kidding about the baby thing… she's been hounding us since we were in our twenties," she explains as the three of them let out a laugh.

"Okay, it's possible I may have gone a little bit overboard, but grandmothers are supposed to spoil their grandchildren, right?" Lynn asks as she walks back into the room, already digging through one of the gift bags.

"Pretty sure that's in the job description," Andy quips.

"Exactly," Lynn replies with a warm smile. One by one she pulls out different items she bought for Emma, most of which being toys and clothes. Then, she all but insists upon dressing Emma up in each of the outfits and taking photos of each and every one. Sam wasn't a huge fan of that part, but all in all, it was a nice day.

==========EXPECTING==========

It's a week later when Andy is on her way home from buying diapers and spots Oliver's car in their driveway. She immediately pulls up next to it, grabs the diapers and walks up to the house. When she opens the door, she can hear voices coming from the other room and she's pretty sure no one even heard her come in because Sam usually greets her when he does. She is just about to call out to them, when she overhears an interesting conversation.

"So… how's the dad life treating you?" Oliver asks.

"Exhausting, but… really good," Sam replies. And she can tell that he's smiling as he says the words and it only makes her smile too.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Oliver concurs. "With all those Swarek and McNally genes swirling around in there, I'm guessing she's gonna be a real handful," he laughs. "Just wait until she starts crawling, brother… you're in for a real kick in the ass then," he adds with a pat on Sam's back.

"I know… I already baby-proofed the entire house," he replies with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Of course you did," Oliver teases. And then a beat later, "So, what about Andy? How's she enjoying motherhood?" He wonders.

"It's crazy man, it's like… the second Emma was born, this switch flipped and suddenly, every one of her maternal instincts kicked in and she was just… a mother… it's like… most of the time, I feel like I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and she just… does… it's pretty incredible," Sam explains as Andy is still standing in the foyer and basically melting at his words.

"Yeah, the same sort of thing happened with Zoe… the miracle of childbirth, I guess," Oliver muses.

"Yeah, maybe," Sam concurs.

"So, you ready to get back on the streets in a few days?" He asks a few seconds later.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam shrugs.

"Don't sound so excited," Oliver jokes.

"I'm just gonna miss them while I'm at work," Sam admits. "I thought I'd be crawling out of my skin wanting to get back, but being home with Andy and the baby… it's nice. I'm gonna miss it," Sam continues. Yeah, Andy is practically grinning ear to ear right about now. And honestly, she can't take much more of this or she'll probably burst into tears, so she decides to break up the party.

"Hey Oliver," Andy greets him as she walks into the room.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come in," Sam interjects as he takes the bag of diapers from her and gives her a quick kiss.

"Just got back," she lies. "Baby sleeping?"

"Yeah, we put her down a few minutes ago," Sam informs her.

"We?" Andy asks with a grin as she looks from Sam to Oliver and then back. "That's cute," she quips, causing Sam to roll his eyes. "So what are you guys doing?" She asks.

"I was just telling Sammy, here, how much we miss him down at the station," he smirks.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're counting down the days, but he'll be back in a few days," Andy teases.

"You have no idea, McNally, you have no idea," Oliver says with a shake of his head and smirk appearing on his lips.

==========EXPECTING==========

It's a few weeks later when Andy and Sam are snuggled up on the couch together, watching television while Emma is sleeping in their bedroom.

"You know, Emma is going to be five weeks old in a couple days," Andy announces as she glances up at Sam and then shuffles her body so her knees are bracketing his hips and she's got her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Yes, I know," he replies, as he gives her a strange look.

"And that means she's almost six weeks old," she declares with a silly smile touching her lips.

"Yep, five _is_ before six," he agrees with a teasing tone.

"And you know… I'm cleared for sex at six weeks," she reminds him.

"I know," he tells her.

"And five is _almost_ six," she continues with a smirk.

"Oh, so this is your roundabout way of asking me for sex?" He grins.

"Pretty much," she replies, causing him to let out a laugh and then pull her down to his level so he can get a quick kiss out of her. When he pulls away and rests his head back against the couch, a small frown crosses her face "So…?" She asks.

"Andy, it's just one more week, we should probably just wait it out," he decides as his hands travel up and down her back.

"Oh… so… you're turning me down?" She clarifies. "You've never done that before," she reminds him as the smile disappears from her face.

"It's not like _that_ … I just don't want to hurt you," he assures her as he squeezes her thigh. "I think we should just wait until the doctor gives you the all clear."

"Are you sure that's the reason?" She wonders. "I mean… I know I look different than I used to… and obviously, I still need to lose a lot of baby weight," she adds, as she averts her eyes from his.

"Whoa, hey," he says as he gets both hands on her face, so she'll meet his eyes. "Yeah, you look a little different, but you're still gorgeous and sexy and I can't _wait_ until our six weeks are up," he assures her. "And even though not being with you is practically torture, I would never risk hurting you because of that," he explains as his hands travel down to her waist.

"You sure?" She asks, still self-conscious.

"Andy… God, look at you," he says as his eyes briefly sweep up and down her body. "You're beautiful," he tells her as his gaze meets hers again and he gives her an encouraging smile.

She lets out a happy sigh as her lips turn slightly upward and her hands land on his shoulders. "When you look at me like that… I kind of believe you," she tells him as her fingers run through the hair on the back of his head.

"Well, I mean it… you're perfect," he assures her as he cups her jaw with one hand and closes the distance between them with a kiss.

==========EXPECTING==========

Well, I know that was all fluff and no plot, but I hope you liked it anyway. The next chapter is the last (unless anyone has any more ideas they wanna throw my way!)

Please review!


	17. Love

So, I want to correct something I said in the last chapter. AllMcSwarek was the one who suggested the scene of Andy eavesdropping on Oliver and Sam. Sorry about that and thanks for the great idea!

Here's the last chapter… sad to see this coming to an end, but hey- remember when I started it and I said it would be like eight chapters?

Hope you enjoy!

==========EXPECTING==========

"I could honestly just stare at her all day long," Andy coos as she and Sam stand over their fourteen week old daughter sleeping in her crib.

"I know. She's perfect," Sam agrees as he pulls Andy into his side and kisses the top of her head.

"She is, isn't she?" She asks as she looks up at him with a big smile. It kind of makes her melt whenever Sam says stuff like this.

"Yeah," Sam nods as he meets her eyes and mirrors her expression before leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips.

They continue to stand there for a few more minutes, just watching their daughter sleep peacefully, before Andy lets out a big yawn and Sam decides it's time for bed. "C'mon," he urges as he tugs on her arm.

"Okay," she agrees as she lets him lead her out into the hallway and then into their bedroom.

Several minutes later, they've changed into their pajamas, brushed their teeth and gotten into bed. Andy is tucked into Sam's side with her head resting on his chest and her fingers drawing lazy patterns on his skin.

"I just wasn't prepared for how _much_ I would love her," Andy announces as Sam plays with her hair. "I mean, it's like a little bit ridiculous," Andy adds with a laugh as she tilts her head to look up at him.

Sam chuckles a bit and then interlocks their fingers before lifting her hand to his lips.

"And you know, I didn't think it was possible, but ever since she was born… I feel like I love you even more, too… I don't know how to explain it really… I mean, this will probably sound really corny, but it's like… every time I see you with her, I just feel this completely overwhelming amount of love towards you," she tells him with a smile.

He gets this silly grin on his face and swipes his thumb along her jaw. "I know exactly what you mean," he tells her as he gently squeezes her hand and leans into give her a leisurely kiss.

"So… when can we have the next one?" She asks a few beats later as a smirk plays on her lips.

And yeah, her question catches him a little off guard. It's just that they've never talked about having more kids. Sure, they've discussed the future on more than one occasion, but never in any definitive way and never in a manner that sounded so permanent. But deciding if and when to have another kid? That _is_ definitive and that _is_ permanent. And honestly, it's all he wants.

"Whenever you want," he responds with a smile as his fingertips travel down her spine.

"Yeah?" She asks as her face lights up at the thought. "Really? You want another one someday?"

"I want as many as you feel like giving me," he informs her, causing her to smile to widen.

"Maybe two more," she decides.

"I'm good with that," he agrees with a nod.

"Okay," she replies. "But let's wait at _least_ another year or so before we start on baby number two, okay?" She requests.

"Okay," he agrees before he leans in to kiss her. He lets himself linger on her lips for an extra second, but then he eventually pulls away. Then, he immediately allows his head to fall back down on his pillow while she rests hers on his chest. They lie there in silence for a while with him just soothingly running his hand up and down her back, unintentionally coaxing her to sleep.

Meanwhile, he's got plenty of thoughts swirling around in his head. He spends the next ten minutes replaying their conversation and he can't help but smile as he does. The fact that she wants more kids with him is slightly mind-boggling. He's known for quite a while that he wants her forever. He wants joint bank accounts and family vacations and rings on both of their fingers. He wants to wake up beside her every single day for the rest of his life. He wants to grow old with her. He wants more kids. He wants grandkids. He wants all of it with her.

He just wasn't sure if she was at that same point and he didn't want to push her, but after that conversation… she must want all of those same things, right?

"Andy?" He whispers after several more minutes have gone by.

"Hm?" She says with her eyes still closed.

"Will you marry me?" He asks.

"What?" She asks as she opens her eyes and lifts her head up to look at him.

The look of absolute shock on her face makes him smile and he takes a second to push some hair behind her ear. "Will you marry me?" He repeats.

Her eyes go wide and she sucks in a breath, still unsure if this is actually happening or if she's just stuck in a wonderful dream. Meanwhile, he still has a silly smile on his face and his fingers are lazily running through her hair while he waits for her answer.

"Seriously?" She asks.

"Yeah," he nods.

That's when a slow smile suddenly appears on her face and she starts to nod her head. "Then… yes," she answers.

"Yes?" He asks as his eyes start to widen a bit. "Really?"

"Sam… of _course_ ," she says a little louder as her smile turns to a full-fledged grin.

He quickly gets both hands on her face, pulls her in for a passionate kiss and doesn't let go until they're both out of breath. The two of them spend the next minute just silently beaming at each other before a light bulb goes off.

"Okay, hold on," he says as he sits up and gets out of bed.

"What are you doing?" She asks as she also sits up and watches him walk across the room and open their closet door. Instead of answering her question, he stands on his toes and pulls a shoebox off the highest shelf. Then, he lifts the lid and digs around until he finds what he's looking for. He immediately puts the shoebox back where he found it and makes his way to Andy's side of the bed.

"Probably should've gotten this out before I asked you," he declares as he presents her with a black velvet box.

"You have a _ring_?" She asks in disbelief. She thought the whole thing was just a spur of the moment decision, but no… he actually bought her a ring.

"Of _course_ I have a ring," he replies as if that's a pretty dumb question.

"Um… wow…" she stutters. The thought of Sam Swarek going to a jewelry store and picking out a ring for her… it honestly makes her heart flutter.

"So I should probably do this again," he muses. "You know, make it official," he adds with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess you should," she says, still completely shocked by this turn of events.

Sam exposes his dimples before he gets down on one knee right beside the bed and takes her hand in his. "Andy McNally… will you marry me?" He asks again with a playful smile.

She lets out a small laugh and nods her head. "Obviously," she says with a smirk.

He matches her expression as he stands up and pulls her with him before he leans in for another kiss. When he eventually pulls away, he looks down at the box in his hand and opens it.

"Wow," Andy gasps as she sees her ring for the first time.

"You like it?" He asks as he meets her eyes.

"It's perfect," she says with a smile.

He grins and leans in for another kiss before he removes the ring from the box and slips it on her finger. "Looks good on you," he beams.

She smiles, wraps both arms around his neck and stands on her toes to meet him for a few more kisses. "Love you," she mumbles against his lips.

He pulls her closer and slips his tongue in her mouth. They enjoy each other for another minute before eventually pulling away to catch their breath.

"Well, I guess I should probably have sex with you now," Andy quips with a playful smile on her face.

"I think that's the protocol in these situations," he retorts with a laugh, before she pulls him back on to the bed.

==========EXPECTING==========

"So how long have you had this thing?" She asks as she twirls her ring around her finger about an hour later.

"Um… like four months," he admits.

"Seriously?" She asks with widened eyes.

"Yeah," he shrugs.

"So what made you ask me tonight?" She wonders.

"I don't know… I've been wanting to for a long time, I just wasn't really sure if you'd say yes… and then tonight… I don't know, I thought that maybe you would and I… I just couldn't wait any more," he explains.

"I can't wait to marry you," she coos before she leans in for a passionate kiss.

And just as they are about to go for round two, the baby monitor cracks to life with Emma's cries.

"Looks like somebody wants to join the party," Andy comments before she gets out of bed, slips one of Sam's t-shirts on and heads towards their daughter's nursery.

A minute later, she walks back into their room with the baby in her arms. She carefully gets back into bed and places Emma in between the two of them, so she's lying on her back with her feet in the air.

"Guess what Emma?" Andy tells her as Emma wraps her tiny fingers around Andy's thumb. "Mommy and Daddy are getting married," she informs her with a big grin. And before she has a chance to say anything else, Emma starts to babble a little, eliciting a few chuckles out of her parents. "I know… it's official… Daddy's stuck with us," Andy replies to her daughter's nonsense before glancing up at Sam and exchanging a smile.

"That's the plan," Sam agrees before he starts to tickle Emma's feet, getting a couple giggles out of her, while Andy watches on.

"Do you think we would've ended up here if it wasn't for her?" She wonders a minute or two later.

"Yeah," Sam nods. "We would've found our way back to each other," he promises.

"You think so?" Andy questions.

"Yeah… we're supposed to be together," he tells her. "It might have taken a little bit longer, but we would've figured it out somehow," he assures her.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Andy agrees. "But I'm glad it happened the way it did," she adds as she looks down at their daughter and smiles.

"Me too," Sam concurs as he watches the two of them with adoring eyes. And as Andy reaches up to caress Emma's head, the ring on her finger catches his eye and he can't help but smile. He just can't believe that this is his life- that this is his future, his family. It's so much more than he ever expected to have and he's just beyond grateful that he does.

"Hey," he says as he runs his fingers through Andy's hair before she lifts her chin to meet his eyes. "I love you," he tells her as he leans in to give her a quick kiss.

"I love you, too," she smiles.

==========EXPECTING=========

Well, sadly, that is the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this story and I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful reviews! I appreciated every single one.

And if anyone has any ideas for a new story, let me know. Otherwise, I'll keep working on the few I've got left


End file.
